If you’re trying to make sense of the Federal Subjects of Russia, don’t expect a straight line. Russia is less of a country and more of a controlled collapse in slow motion. It’s stitched together from the bones of Tsarist expansion and Soviet leftovers, a federation in name, but in reality, a geopolitical Jenga tower held up by oil, nationalism, and brute force.
There are 89 Federal Subjects of Russia, and they’re not all created equal. Some have parliaments and constitutions. Some are run like mafia fiefdoms. Some are frozen wastelands with more wolves than people. And some are warzones, or used to be.
Here’s how the whole thing breaks down.
22 Republics – The Wildcards of the Russian Federation
These are the regions with their own languages, cultures, and in many cases, unresolved historical beef with Moscow. In theory, they have the right to their own constitutions and official languages. In practice, they follow orders like everyone else — or get crushed like Chechnya in the 90s.
- Chechnya
- Dagestan
- Tatarstan
- Buryatia
- Bashkortostan
- Ingushetia
- Tuva
- Kalmykia
- Mari El
- Mordovia
- Karelia
- Komi
- Udmurtia
- Adygea
- Kabardino-Balkaria
- Karachay-Cherkessia
- Chuvashia
- North Ossetia–Alania
- Khakassia
- Altai Republic
- Sakha (Yakutia)
- Crimea (disputed)
These republics make up the ethnic patchwork Russia inherited from the Soviet Union, or rather the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. This meant that after the fall of the USSR they were not allowed independence, a bone of contention in some republics.
And while many are constructed “nations” others such as Tatarstan and Tuva have a rich history of independence and even empire in the case of the former.
9 Krais – Frontier Russia
A krai literally means “edge” and that’s exactly what these guys are. The edge of Russia, both geographically and historically. The Federal Subjects of Russia known as krais were once the wild frontiers, now many are hubs for oil, gas, and whatever’s else can be dug up and sold.
- Krasnodar Krai
- Kamchatka
- Primorsky Krai
- Zabaykalsky Krai
- Krasnoyarsk
- Khabarovsk
- Stavropol
- Altai Krai
- Perm Krai
This is the land of volcanoes, Cossacks, and border skirmishes. If you’ve ever wondered where are the best places to go missing, it is here.
46 Oblasts – The Backbone of the Federation
Think of the oblasts as Russia’s factory floor. These are the standard administrative regions and have no major autonomy, no special status. Just regional governments doing Moscow’s bidding. That said, don’t underestimate them. Some of the most powerful governors in Russia come from oblasts, and some of the bloodiest regional feuds play out here.
The Known Ones
- Kaliningrad Oblast – A weird Russian exclave stuck between Poland and Lithuania, and still somehow very proud of the Soviet Navy.
- Moscow Oblast – Not to be confused with Moscow city. This is the doughnut of suburbs, factories, and secret police compounds.
- Novosibirsk Oblast – Siberia’s capital. A concrete sprawl that gets colder than your ex’s heart in January.
- Murmansk Oblast – The Arctic port that never freezes. Northern Lights, nuclear icebreakers, and a military vibe you can’t shake.
- Volgograd Oblast – Once called Stalingrad. Battle-scarred, rebuilt, and still obsessed with victory.
- Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk Oblast) – Ural industrial powerhouse and Romanov execution site.
- Vladivostok (Primorsky Krai) – Not an oblast, but we’ll allow it. Edge of the map. Russia’s eye on the Pacific.
And 39 More You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
8. Bryansk Oblast – Forests, partisans, and one of the shadiest borders with Ukraine.
9. Smolensk Oblast – Napoleon passed through. So did Hitler. Neither had fun.
10. Ivanovo Oblast – “City of Brides.” Fewer brides now. More factories and ghosts of Soviet textile dreams.
11. Tambov Oblast – Once the center of a peasant uprising. Now quiet. Too quiet.
12. Oryol Oblast – WWII tank battles and literary giants buried under layers of rust.
13. Lipetsk Oblast – Where Soviet steel meets modern decay.
14. Penza Oblast – Middle of nowhere. Which is exactly why you should go.
15. Ryazan Oblast – A military academy town that’s low-key FSB central.
16. Tula Oblast – Home of samovars, gingerbread, and weapons manufacturing.
17. Tver Oblast – Between Moscow and St. Petersburg, but totally ignored by both.
18. Vladimir Oblast – Orthodox churches and gulags.
19. Kostroma Oblast – Wooden houses and fading grandeur.
20. Yaroslavl Oblast – A Volga beauty that’s always overlooked.
21. Kirov Oblast – Exile territory for troublemakers and thinkers.
22. Chuvashia (technically a republic, but often lumped in) – Where the Turkic world meets the Slavic one.
23. Ulyanovsk Oblast – Lenin was born here. They won’t let you forget it.
24. Saratov Oblast – Volga Germans used to live here. Stalin had other plans.
25. Samara Oblast – The bunker city. Stalin’s wartime capital fallback.
26. Orenburg Oblast – Gateway to Central Asia, and cold as hell in winter.
27. Kurgan Oblast – A steppe of nothing, with occasional radiation fears.
28. Chelyabinsk Oblast – Meteorites, nuclear mishaps, and the toughest people you’ll ever meet.
29. Kemerovo Oblast – Coal capital of Siberia. Black dust everywhere.
30. Tomsk Oblast – Old universities and new paranoia.
31. Omsk Oblast – You don’t escape from Omsk. You survive it.
32. Tyumen Oblast – Oil-rich and FSB-thick.
33. Altai Krai – Not an oblast, but full of magic mountains and hidden gulag scars.
34. Zabaykalsky Krai – Where Russia leans on China and Siberia gets even weirder.
35. Irkutsk Oblast – Lake Baikal’s front yard.
36. Amur Oblast – Rockets, borders, and ancient trade routes.
37. Sakhalin Oblast – Oil rigs, exiled Poles, and Japan’s regrets.
38. Arkhangelsk Oblast – The Arctic gate to nowhere.
39. Vologda Oblast – Butter, churches, and not much else.
40. Pskov Oblast – Feels more like the Baltics than Russia.
41. Belgorod Oblast – Frontline now. Ask no questions.
42. Kursk Oblast – Tank graveyards and Cold War ghosts.
43. Kaluga Oblast – Home to Russia’s space industry.
44. Magadan Oblast – Gulag central. Still recovering from Stalin’s love.
45. Jewish Autonomous Oblast – Yes, that’s real. No, there aren’t many Jews left.
46. Nenets Autonomous Okrug (shares with Arkhangelsk) – Oil and permafrost.
Some oblasts matter because of geography. Some because of industry. And some frankly just do not matter, like at all.
3 Federal Cities – Where Power Lives
These are cities that report directly to the Kremlin. No middlemen, no oblasts, just raw political muscle.
- Moscow – The throne
- Saint Petersburg – The old capital
- Sevastopol – Russia’s naval pride and Ukraine’s legal headache
Each federal city is a subject in its own right, a great way to concentrate more power where it already exists. In the list of Federal Subjects of Russia, they are exceptions that prove the rule of the Russian Bear!
1 Autonomous Oblast – The Soviet Joke That Lived
Yes, this still exists. Originally founded by Stalin as a kind of “Soviet Zion,” it’s now a mostly Russian-populated administrative curiosity with a name that confuses every traveler who stumbles into Birobidzhan. It is though a very interesting place that we have ran tours to.
4 Autonomous Okrugs – Siberian Isolation
These are technically attached to other oblasts or krais but operate with a degree of independence. These are the Federal Subjects of Russia that feel like you’ve left the planet.
- Chukotka – Billionaire Roman Abramovich’s old playground
- Khanty-Mansi – Oil-rich and drowning in alcoholism
- Nenets – Cold and empty
- Yamalo-Nenets – Even colder and emptier
The autonomous okrugs are oilfields, gas pipelines, reindeer herding zones, and not much else. But they’re vital to the Kremlin’s survival.
Bonus Round – Disputed and Contested Federal Subjects of Russia
- Crimea – Annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Not recognized by most of the world.
- Sevastopol – Pretty much as above….
- Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Claimed by Russia, but not officially counted among the 89 at least outside of Russia. Think of them as pending a Trump peace initiative.
Why the Federal Subjects of Russia Matter
You can’t understand modern Russia without understanding the Federal Subjects of Russia. This is where real power struggles play out. Not just between locals and Moscow, but between old identities and new realities. Between Putin’s vertical of power and regions that still think in terms of tribes, languages, and borders drawn in blood.
For travelers, each subject has a story, from the mountains of Dagestan to the volcanic wastes of Kamchatka. For the Kremlin, they’re more like chess pieces. For everyone else, they’re proof that Russia is less of a country and more of a sprawling contradiction that is kept together by the big strong man in office!
And YPT can take you there on one of our group or independent Russia Tours.
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