Territories of ‘Special Status’ in Russia: The Ethnic Dimension

The practical significance of creating ‘ethnic territorial units’ within the Russian federation remains unclear. Since 2003 the Russian Government has implemented a policy of merging ethnically defined autonomous okrugs (districts) into larger units. The former okrugs have been replaced by the territories of a ‘special’ status. Some new legal provisions refer to these units’ ‘ethnic’ character. However, examination of the new legislation reveals that issues of ethnicity, the protection and promotion of minority languages, and the cultural heritage of the okrugs have largely been neglected. All the legal acts adopted to date are very general in nature and do not provide details of the guarantees and obligations necessary to put such policies into practice.