Authoritarian Regimes of Russia and Tatarstan: Coexistence and Subjection

In some Russian republics, beginning with Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, a system of power based on a strong administrative ‘vertical’ was established ten years earlier than in Russia. Comparison of the most characteristic features of the authoritarian regime in Tatarstan and that of Russia in recent years reveals that the deployment of power in Russia under Putin and his successor and the system of Tatarstan government under President Mintimer Shaimiev are very similar. It is clear that Russia today functions as a nest of dolls (matrëshka) of authoritarian regimes, comprising central, regional and district levels. It differs in principle from the democratic federative state proclaimed in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.