ABSTRACT
After the break-up of the Soviet Union many expected the process of fragmentation to be unstoppable, ultimately resulting in the secession of several other regions from the newly established Russian Federation. However, although decentralisation went far during the Yeltsin period, the federation did not fall apart. The intriguing question is why the weakening of the state centre and the far-reaching decentralisation of power did not lead to more federal disintegration. I argue that the Kremlin leaders and national and regional elites have a common interest in keeping the federation together as long as the federal institutions allow the regions a substantial degree of autonomy. The purpose therefore is to analyse how decentralisationist and integrationist attitudes may constitute the basis of the Russian federation.
