Federalism in Russia

While Russia is nominally a federation, in practice it has functioned as a centralized unitary state, especially under the authoritarian regime of Vladimir Putin. Movements in Russia to establish real federalism or regional autonomy are suppressed by authorities, who label proponents of federalism as "dangerous" separatists.

History
On 31 March 1992, the Treaty of Federation between the central Russian government and the federal subjects was signed. Along with establishing a nominally federal structure, it involved an asymmetrically federal system in which so-called "sovereign republics" would be more autonomous than other federal subjects. The republics declared their own sovereignties, but remained a part of the Russian Federation, and the treaty was "sharply skewed toward centralism". Additionally, the 1993 Constitution of Russia abolished these sovereignties altogether, and after changes in the government, leaders of federal subjects began being appointed by Moscow.