Introduction to Russia’s Federal Structure

Russia is a federal republic composed of 89 federal subjects (субъекты федерации). These include republics, krais (territories), oblasts (provinces), federal cities, autonomous okrugs (districts), and one autonomous oblast. Understanding the official English translations of these entities is crucial for international diplomacy, academic research, business communications, and accurate geographical referencing.

The Russian Federation’s constitution defines three types of federal subjects:

  1. Republics (Республики) - 21 entities with their own constitutions and languages
  2. Krais (Края) - 9 territories
  3. Oblast (Области) - 46 provinces
  4. Federal Cities (Города федерального значения) - 3 cities
  5. Autonomous Okrugs (Автономные округа) - 4 districts
  6. Autonomous Oblast (Автономная область) - 1 region

Complete List of Federal Subjects with Official English Names

Republics (Республики)

  1. Republic of Adygea (Адыгея) - The Republic of Adygea
  2. Republic of Altai (Алтай) - The Republic of Altai
  3. Republic of Bashkortostan (Башкортостан) - The Republic of Bashkortostan
  4. Republic of Buryatia (Бурятия) - The Republic of Buryatia
  5. Chechen Republic (Чечня) - The Chechen Republic
  6. Republic of Chuvashia (Чувашия) - The Republic of Chuvashia
  7. Republic of Dagestan (Дагестан) - The Republic of Dagestan
  8. Republic of Ingushetia (Ингушетия) - The Republic of Ingushetia
  9. Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (Кабардино-Балкария) - The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
  10. Republic of Kalmykia (Калмыкия) - The Republic of Kalmykia
  11. Karachay-Cherkess Republic (Карачаево-Черкесия) - The Karachay-Cherkess Republic
  12. Republic of Karelia (Карелия) - The Republic of Karelia
  13. Komi Republic (Коми) - The Komi Republic
  14. Mari El Republic (Марий Эл) - The Mari El Republic
  15. Republic of Mordovia (Мордовия) - The Republic of Mordovia
  16. Sakha Republic (Yakutia) (Саха (Якутия)) - The Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
  17. Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Северная Осетия-Алания) - The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
  18. Republic of Tatarstan (Татарстан) - The Republic of Tatarstan
  19. Republic of Tuva (Тыва) - The Republic of Tuva
  20. Udmurt Republic (Удмуртия) - The Republic of Udmurtia
  21. Republic of Khakassia (Хакасия) - The Republic of Khakassia
  22. Chechen Republic (Чечня) - The Chechen Republic

Krais (Края)

  1. Altai Krai (Алтайский край) - Altai Krai
  2. Kamchatka Krai (Камчатский край) - Kamchatka Krai
  3. Khabarovsk Krai (Хабаровский край) - Khabarovsk Krai
  4. Krasnodar Krai (Краснодарский край) - Krasnodar Krai
  5. Krasnoyarsk Krai (Красноярский край) - Krasnoyarsk Krai
  6. Perm Krai (Пермский край) - Perm Krai
  7. Primorsky Krai (Приморский край) - Primorsky Krai
  8. Stavropol Krai (Ставропольский край) - Stavropol Krai
  9. Khabarovsk Krai (Хабаровский край) - Khabarovsk Kra0
  10. Zabaykalsky Krai (Забайкальский край) - Zabaykalsky Krai

Oblasts (Области)

  1. Amur Oblast (Амурская область) - Amur Oblast
  2. Arkhangelsk Oblast (Архангельская область) - Arkhangelsk Oblast
  3. Astrakhan Oblast (Астраханская область) - Astrakhan Oblast
  4. Belgorod Oblast (Белгородская область) - Belgorod Oblast
  5. Bryansk Oblast (Брянская область) - Bryansk Oblast
  6. Chelyabinsk Oblast (Челябинская область) - Chelyabinsk Oblast
  7. Irkutsk Oblast (Иркутская область) - Irkutsk Oblast
  8. Ivanovo Oblast (Ивановская область) - Ivanovo Oblast
  9. Kaliningrad Oblast (Калининградская область) - Kaliningrad Oblast
  10. Kaluga Oblast (Калужская область) - Kaluga Oblast
  11. Kemerovo Oblast (Кемеровская область) - Kemerovo Oblast
  12. Kirov Oblast (Кировская область) - Kirov Oblast
  13. Kostroma Oblast (Костромская область) - Kostroma Oblast
  14. Kurgan Oblast (Курганская область) - Kurgan Oblast
  15. Kursk Oblast (Курская область) - Kursk Oblast
  16. Leningrad Oblast (Ленинградская область) - Leningrad Oblast
  17. Lipetsk Oblast (Липецкая область) - Lipetsk Oblast
  18. Magadan Oblast (Магаданская область) - Magadan Oblast
  19. Moscow Oblast (Московская область) - Moscow Oblast
  20. Murmansk Oblast (Мурманская область) - Murmansk Oblast
  21. Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Нижегородская область) - Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
  22. Novgorod Oblast (Новгородская область) - Novgorod Oblast
  23. Novosibirsk Oblast (Новосибирская область) - Novosibirsk Oblast
  24. Omsk Oblast (Омская область) - Omsk Oblast
  25. Orenburg Oblast (Оренбургская область) - Orenburg Obl3ast
  26. Oryol Oblast (Орловская область) - Oryol Oblast
  27. Penza Oblast (Пензенская область) - Penza Oblast
  28. Pskov Oblast (Псковская область) - Pskov Oblast
  29. Rostov Oblast (Ростовская область) - Rostov Oblast
  30. Ryazan Oblast (Рязанская область) - Ryazan Oblast
  31. Samara Oblast (Самарская область) - Samara Oblast
  32. Saratov Oblast (Саратовская область) - Saratov Oblast
  33. Sakhalin Oblast (Сахалинская область) - Sakhalin Oblast
  34. Sverdlovsk Oblast (Свердловская область) - Sverdlovsk Oblast
  35. Smolensk Oblast (Смоленская область) - Smolensk Oblast
  36. Tambov Oblast (Тамбовская область) - Tambov Oblast
  37. Tver Oblast (Тверская область) - Tver Oblast
  38. Tomsk Oblast (Томская область) - Tomsk Oblast
  39. Tula Oblast (Тульская область) - Tula Oblast
  40. Tyumen Oblast (Тюменская область) - Tyumen Oblast
  41. Ulyanovsk Oblast (Ульяновская область) - Ulyanovsk Oblast
  42. Vladimir Oblast (Владимирская область) - Vladimir Oblast
  43. Volgograd Oblast (Волгоградская область) - Volgograd Oblast
  44. Vologda Oblast (Вологодская область) - Vologda Oblast
  45. Voronezh Oblast (Воронежская область) - Voronezh Oblast
  46. Yaroslavl Oblast (Ярославская область) - Yaroslavl Oblast

Federal Cities (Города федерального значения)

  1. Moscow (Москва) - The City of Moscow
  2. Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) - The City of Saint Petersburg
  3. Sevastopol (Севастополь) - The City of Sevastopol

Autonomous Okrugs (Автономные округа)

  1. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (Чукотский автономный округ) - Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
  2. Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Ханты-Мансийский автономный округ) - Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
  3. Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Ямало-Ненецкий автономный округ) - Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
  4. Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Ненецкий авonomous округ) - Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Autonomous Oblast (Автономная область)

  1. Jewish Autonomous Oblast (Еврейская автономная область) - Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Important Notes on English Naming Conventions

1. The Use of “The”

  • Republics and federal cities typically include “The” in their official English names (e2.g., “The Republic of Tatarstan”, “The City of Moscow”)
  • Oblasts, krais, and autonomous okrugs generally do not use “The” (e.g., “Moscow Oblast”, not “The Moscow Oblast”)
  • The autonomous oblast uses “The” (The Jewish Autonomous Oblast)

2. Capitalization Rules

  • All federal subjects capitalize the first letter of each word in their official English names
  • The word “of” is lowercase unless it’s part of a proper noun
  • The word “and” is lowercase unless it’s part of2 a proper noun

3. Parenthetical Names

  • Some republics have parenthetical names indicating the capital city or alternative name (e.g., “Sakha Republic (Yakutia)”)
  • These are official and should be included in formal documents

4. Hyphenation

  • Multi-word names are hyphenated when used as adjectives (e.g., “Krasnodar Krai” but “Krasnodar-Krai-style”)
  • Republic names with multiple ethnic groups use hyphens (e.g., “Kabardino-Balkarian Republic”)

5. Transliteration Variations

  • Some names have alternative transliterations (e.g., “Komi” vs “Komi Republic”)
  • The official translations listed above are based on the Russian government’s official documents and international agreements

Special Cases and Recent Changes

1. Crimea and Sevastopol

  • Following the 2014 events, both Crimea and Sev2astopol are considered federal subjects of Russia
  • Crimea is officially “The Republic of Crimea” (Республика Крым)
  • Sevastopol is officially “The City of Sevastopol” (Севастополь)
  • Many countries do not recognize these as Russian territory, but Russia considers them federal subjects

2. The “Double Name” Republics

  • Sakha Republic (Yakutia) - The official name includes both the Russian and indigenous names
  • Republic of North Ossetia-Alania - The name reflects both Ossetian and Alan heritage
  • These names are internationally recognized and used in UN documents

1. Federal Cities

  • Moscow - The capital, officially “The City of Moscow”
  • Saint Petersburg - The cultural capital, officially “The City of 2Saint Petersburg”
  • Sevastopol - The naval base city, officially “The City of Sevastopol” (contested internationally)

Practical Usage Examples

Example 1: Diplomatic Document

The Embassy of the Russian Federation presents its compliments to the Embassy of [Country] and has the honour to inform that the following federal subjects have updated their official English names: - The Republic of Tatarstan (formerly "Tatarstan Republic") - Krasnodar Krai (unchanged) - The City of Moscow (unchanged) 

Example 2: Academic Paper

According to the Federal Constitutional Law No. 6-FKZ, the official English names of federal subjects are: - Republics: "The [Name] Republic" (e.g., The Republic of Bashkortostan) - Krais: "[Name] Krai" (e1.g., Altai Krai) - Oblasts: "[Name] Oblast" (e.g., Moscow Oblast) - Federal cities: "The City of [Name]" (e.g., The City of Saint Petersburg) 

Example 3: Business Contract

This Agreement is made between: 1. [Company Name], located in The Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation 2. [Company Name], located in Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation 

Verification and Sources

The official English names are derived from:

  1. Russian Government Decrees - Official translations published by the Ministry of Justice
  2. United Nations Terminology Database - UNTERM
  3. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) - ISO 3166-2:RU
  4. federal subjects’ official websites (English versions)

For the most current information, refer to:

  • Official website of the President of Russia: kremlin.ru
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs: mid.ru
  • Federal State Statistics Service: gks.ru

Conclusion

This comprehensive list provides the official English names for all 89 federal subjects of the Russian Federation as of 2024. When using these names in official documents, academic papers, or international communications, it’s essential to use the exact official translations to maintain accuracy and professionalism. The naming conventions reflect Russia’s complex federal structure and the importance of recognizing both Russian and indigenous identities within the federation.

For updates and verification, always consult official Russian government sources or the United Nations terminology database, as minor changes to official translations can occur over time.# Comprehensive Guide to the Official English Names of Russian Federal Subjects (2024 Edition)

Introduction to Russia’s Federal Structure

Russia is a federal republic composed of 89 federal subjects (субъекты федерации). These include republics, krais (territories), oblasts (provinces), federal cities, autonomous okrugs (districts), and one autonomous oblast. Understanding the official English translations of these entities is crucial for international diplomacy, academic research, business communications, and accurate geographical referencing.

The Russian Federation’s constitution defines three types of federal subjects:

  1. Republics (Республики) - 21 entities with their own constitutions and languages
  2. Krais (Края) - 9 territories
  3. Oblast (Области) - 46 provinces
  4. Federal Cities (Города федерального значения) - 3 cities
  5. Autonomous Okrugs (Автономные округа) - 4 districts
  6. Autonomous Oblast (Автономная область) - 1 region

Complete List of Federal Subjects with Official English Names

Republics (Республики)

  1. Republic of Adygea (Адыгея) - The Republic of Adygea
  2. Republic of Altai (Алтай) - The Republic of Altai
  3. Republic of Bashkortostan (Башкортостан) - The Republic of Bashkortostan
  4. Republic of Buryatia (Бурятия) - The Republic of Buryatia
  5. Chechen Republic (Чечня) - The Chechen Republic
  6. Republic of Chuvashia (Чувашия) - The Republic of Chuvashia
  7. Republic of Dagestan (Дагестан) - The Republic of Dagestan
  8. Republic of Ingushetia (Ингушетия) - The Republic of Ingushetia
  9. Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (Кабардино-Балкария) - The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
  10. Republic of Kalmykia (Калмыкия) - The Republic of Kalmykia
  11. Karachay-Cherkess Republic (Карачаево-Черкесия) - The Karachay-Cherkess Republic
  12. Republic of Karelia (Карелия) - The Republic of Karelia
  13. Komi Republic (Коми) - The Komi Republic
  14. Mari El Republic (Марий Эл) - The Mari El Republic
  15. Republic of Mordovia (Мордовия) - The Republic of Mordovia
  16. Sakha Republic (Yakutia) (Саха (Якутия)) - The Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
  17. Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Северная Осетия-Алания) - The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
  18. Republic of Tatarstan (Татарстан) - The Republic of Tatarstan
  19. Republic of Tuva (Тыва) - The Republic of Tuva
  20. Udmurt Republic (Удмуртия) - The Republic of Udmurtia
  21. Republic of Khakassia (Хакасия) - The Republic of Khakassia

Krais (Края)

  1. Altai Krai (Алтайский край) - Altai Krai
  2. Kamchatka Krai (Камчатский край) - Kamchatka Krai
  3. Khabarovsk Krai (Хабаровский край) - Khabarovsk Krai
  4. Krasnodar Krai (Краснодарский край) - Krasnodar Krai
  5. Krasnoyarsk Krai (Красноярский край) - Krasnoyarsk Krai
  6. Perm Krai (Пермский край) - Perm Krai
  7. Primorsky Krai (Приморский край) - Primorsky Krai
  8. Stavropol Krai (Ставропольский край) - Stavropol Krai
  9. Zabaykalsky Krai (Забайкальский край) - Zabaykalsky Krai

Oblasts (Области)

  1. Amur Oblast (Амурская область) - Amur Oblast
  2. Arkhangelsk Oblast (Архангельская область) - Arkhangelsk Oblast
  3. Astrakhan Oblast (Астраханская область) - Astrakhan Oblast
  4. Belgorod Oblast (Белгородская область) - Belgorod Oblast
  5. Bryansk Oblast (Брянская область) - Bryansk Oblast
  6. Chelyabinsk Oblast (Челябинская область) - Chelyabinsk Oblast
  7. Irkutsk Oblast (Иркутская область) - Irkutsk Oblast
  8. Ivanovo Oblast (Ивановская область) - Ivanovo Oblast
  9. Kaliningrad Oblast (Калининградская область) - Kaliningrad Oblast
  10. Kaluga Oblast (Калужская область) - Kaluga Oblast
  11. Kemerovo Oblast (Кемеровская область) - Kemerovo Oblast
  12. Kirov Oblast (Кировская область) - Kirov Oblast
  13. Kostroma Oblast (Костромская область) - Kostroma Oblast
  14. Kurgan Oblast (Курганская область) - Kurgan Oblast
  15. Kursk Oblast (Курская область) - Kursk Oblast
  16. Leningrad Oblast (Ленинградская область) - Leningrad Oblast
  17. Lipetsk Oblast (Липецкая область) - Lipetsk Oblast
  18. Magadan Oblast (Магаданская область) - Magadan Oblast
  19. Moscow Oblast (Московская область) - Moscow Oblast
  20. Murmansk Oblast (Мурманская область) - Murmansk Oblast
  21. Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Нижегородская область) - Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
  22. Novgorod Oblast (Новгородская область) - Novgorod Oblast
  23. Novosibirsk Oblast (Новосибирская область) - Novosibirsk Oblast
  24. Omsk Oblast (Омская область) - Omsk Oblast
  25. Orenburg Oblast (Оренбургская область) - Orenburg Oblast
  26. Oryol Oblast (Орловская область) - Oryol Oblast
  27. Penza Oblast (Пензенская область) - Penza Oblast
  28. Pskov Oblast (Псковская область) - Pskov Oblast
  29. Rostov Oblast (Ростовская область) - Rostov Oblast
  30. Ryazan Oblast (Рязанская область) - Ryazan Oblast
  31. Samara Oblast (Самарская область) - Samara Oblast
  32. Saratov Oblast (Саратовская область) - Saratov Oblast
  33. Sakhalin Oblast (Сахалинская область) - Sakhalin Oblast
  34. Sverdlovsk Oblast (Свердловская область) - Sverdlovsk Oblast
  35. Smolensk Oblast (Смоленская область) - Smolensk Oblast
  36. Tambov Oblast (Тамбовская область) - Tambov Oblast
  37. Tver Oblast (Тверская область) - Tver Oblast
  38. Tomsk Oblast (Томская область) - Tomsk Oblast
  39. Tula Oblast (Тульская область) - Tula Oblast
  40. Tyumen Oblast (Тюменская область) - Tyumen Oblast
  41. Ulyanovsk Oblast (Ульяновская область) - Ulyanovsk Oblast
  42. Vladimir Oblast (Владимирская область) - Vladimir Oblast
  43. Volgograd Oblast (Волгоградская область) - Volgograd Oblast
  44. Vologda Oblast (Вологодская область) - Vologda Oblast
  45. Voronezh Oblast (Воронежская область) - Voronezh Oblast
  46. Yaroslavl Oblast (Ярославская область) - Yaroslavl Oblast

Federal Cities (Города федерального значения)

  1. Moscow (Москва) - The City of Moscow
  2. Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) - The City of Saint Petersburg
  3. Sevastopol (Севастополь) - The City of Sevastopol

Autonomous Okrugs (Автономные округа)

  1. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (Чукотский автономный округ) - Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
  2. Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Ханты-Мансийский автономный округ) - Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
  3. Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Ямало-Ненецкий автономный округ) - Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
  4. Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Ненецкий автономный округ) - Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Autonomous Oblast (Автономная область)

  1. Jewish Autonomous Oblast (Еврейская автономная область) - Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Important Notes on English Naming Conventions

1. The Use of “The”

  • Republics and federal cities typically include “The” in their official English names (e.g., “The Republic of Tatarstan”, “The City of Moscow”)
  • Oblasts, krais, and autonomous okrugs generally do not use “The” (e.g., “Moscow Oblast”, not “The Moscow Oblast”)
  • The autonomous oblast uses “The” (The Jewish Autonomous Oblast)

2. Capitalization Rules

  • All federal subjects capitalize the first letter of each word in their official English names
  • The word “of” is lowercase unless it’s part of a proper noun
  • The word “and” is lowercase unless it’s part of a proper noun

3. Parenthetical Names

  • Some republics have parenthetical names indicating the capital city or alternative name (e.g., “Sakha Republic (Yakutia)”)
  • These are official and should be included in formal documents

4. Hyphenation

  • Multi-word names are hyphenated when used as adjectives (e.g., “Krasnodar Krai” but “Krasnodar-Krai-style”)
  • Republic names with multiple ethnic groups use hyphens (e.g., “Kabardino-Balkarian Republic”)

5. Transliteration Variations

  • Some names have alternative transliterations (e.g., “Komi” vs “Komi Republic”)
  • The official translations listed above are based on the Russian government’s official documents and international agreements

Special Cases and Recent Changes

1. Crimea and Sevastopol

  • Following the 2014 events, both Crimea and Sevastopol are considered federal subjects of Russia
  • Crimea is officially “The Republic of Crimea” (Республика Крым)
  • Sevastopol is officially “The City of Sevastopol” (Севастополь)
  • Many countries do not recognize these as Russian territory, but Russia considers them federal subjects

2. The “Double Name” Republics

  • Sakha Republic (Yakutia) - The official name includes both the Russian and indigenous names
  • Republic of North Ossetia-Alania - The name reflects both Ossetian and Alan heritage
  • These names are internationally recognized and used in UN documents

3. Federal Cities

  • Moscow - The capital, officially “The City of Moscow”
  • Saint Petersburg - The cultural capital, officially “The City of Saint Petersburg”
  • Sevastopol - The naval base city, officially “The City of Sevastopol” (contested internationally)

Practical Usage Examples

Example 1: Diplomatic Document

The Embassy of the Russian Federation presents its compliments to the Embassy of [Country] and has the honour to inform that the following federal subjects have updated their official English names: - The Republic of Tatarstan (formerly "Tatarstan Republic") - Krasnodar Krai (unchanged) - The City of Moscow (unchanged) 

Example 2: Academic Paper

According to the Federal Constitutional Law No. 6-FKZ, the official English names of federal subjects are: - Republics: "The [Name] Republic" (e.g., The Republic of Bashkortostan) - Krais: "[Name] Krai" (e.g., Altai Krai) - Oblasts: "[Name] Oblast" (e.g., Moscow Oblast) - Federal cities: "The City of [Name]" (e.g., The City of Saint Petersburg) 

Example 3: Business Contract

This Agreement is made between: 1. [Company Name], located in The Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation 2. [Company Name], located in Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation 

Verification and Sources

The official English names are derived from:

  1. Russian Government Decrees - Official translations published by the Ministry of Justice
  2. United Nations Terminology Database - UNTERM
  3. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) - ISO 3166-2:RU
  4. Federal subjects’ official websites (English versions)

For the most current information, refer to:

  • Official website of the President of Russia: kremlin.ru
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs: mid.ru
  • Federal State Statistics Service: gks.ru

Conclusion

This comprehensive list provides the official English names for all 89 federal subjects of the Russian Federation as of 2024. When using these names in official documents, academic papers, or international communications, it’s essential to use the exact official translations to maintain accuracy and professionalism. The naming conventions reflect Russia’s complex federal structure and the importance of recognizing both Russian and indigenous identities within the federation.

For updates and verification, always consult official Russian government sources or the United Nations terminology database, as minor changes to official translations can occur over time.