Russian Territorial Reform

A Centralist Project that Could End Up Fostering Decentralization?

Author(s): Julia Kusznir
Editor(s): Jeronim Perovic, Robert Orttung, Matthias Neumann, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 43
Pages: 8-11
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen
Publication Year: 2008

At the beginning of 2000, the federal government initiated a new reform redefining Russia's internal boundaries as part of the Kremlin's ongoing campaign to simplify the country's administrative-territorial divisions and to further tighten federal control over regional budgets and administration. However, recent events have shown that the program of merging existing territorial units has not followed the course which the centre expected. The Kremlin's attempts to pressure the regions to speed up the process have often caused the parties to harden their positions. The outcome of the process remains unclear. Centralization could continue, leading to the creation of a unified state; alternatively, key regional leaders who command powerful regions might find themselves strengthened, the very opposite of what the Kremlin had originally intended.

Download:

English (PDF)