Russia has a federal semi-presidential republic form of government as defined by its 1993 Constitution. It is a democratic, federative, law-based state with a republican form of government where state power is divided among three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial

. Key features of Russia's government include:

• President: The President of Russia is the head of state and holds significant power, including appointing the Prime Minister with parliamentary approval. The president is also the guarantor of the constitution and plays a central role in domestic and foreign policy

• Executive: The government (headed by the Prime Minister) exercises executive power but is accountable to the President and controlled by the State Duma (the lower house of parliament)

• Legislature: Russia has a bicameral Federal Assembly consisting of:
  • The State Duma (lower house) with 450 members elected for five-year terms.
  • The Federation Council (upper house) with representatives appointed by regional authorities and some appointed by the President (up to 10% of members)

• Judiciary: Includes the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and Supreme Court of Arbitration, with judges nominated by the President and approved by the Federation Council

While the constitution establishes Russia as a democratic state with a multi- party system, in practice, political power is highly centralized, with significant authority concentrated in the hands of the President, Vladimir Putin, leading many analysts to describe the system as authoritarian or a managed democracy

. In summary, Russia is constitutionally a federal semi-presidential republic with a division of powers, but the political reality reflects strong presidential dominance within an authoritarian framework.