The Russian Federation is a sovereign country in Eurasia, and is the largest country in the world by area. With over 144 million people living in the country, it is the ninth most populous country. With about 77% of the country’s population living in the European-Russia, a majority of these areas are highly urbanized in the country.

After the Russian Revolt, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was the largest constituent in the country and was the world’s first socialist-state. The country had a major impact during WWII and was a major rival to the US during the Cold War. In the 20th century, many of the world’s most significant technological advancements, including the first satellite launching, occurred during the Soviet Era.

Ranked by nominal GDP, Russia has the 12th highest GDP in the world, and the sixth largest purchasing power parity (2015). Mineral and energy reserves are highly prominent, and the country has the largest reserves worldwide. It is one of the world’s five-recognized nuclear states, and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the world.

Russia is a member of NATO, G20, World Trade Organization, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the United Nations Security Council, and other worldwide organizations.

Today the country is a federal with semi-presidential rule, with the President being the head of the state, and Prime Minister is the head of the government. It is comprised of the three governmental branches (legislature, judiciary, executive). Presidential elections are held every 6-years, and determined by popular vote.

The Russian government is anchored by the Legislative branch consisting of the bicameral Federal Assembly of Russia, divided into two branches.  The first is the 450 Member State Duma, the lower house of the legislature that meets in Moscow and replaced the Supreme Soviet in the Constitution approved by the Russian Public after the Constitutional Crisis of 1993, and was approved by the Russian people through a public referendum.  The upper house of the Russian legislature is the Federation Council, which consists of two representatives from each section from the Russian Federation. The Federation council reviews bills passed by the State Duma on fiscal matters, and this chamber also oversees border changes, approval of presidential decrees on states of emergency, martial law, and the deployment of Russian Armed Forces outside of Russia, among other duties including removal of the president from office.

The Russia Judiciary consists of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and lower federal courts, with judges appointed by the Federation council with recommendations from the President. The Constitutional Court’s purpose is to protect the Constitution of Russia- known as “Constitutional Control” or “Constitutional Supervision.’  Nineteen judges sit on this court, divided into two chambers of 10 and 9 judges, respectively. The Chairman presides over one chamber, and the Deputy Chairman presides over the other.  Judges are nominated by the President and appointed by the Federation Council for a 12 year term, and all judges must be a Russian Citizen, 40 years of age, possess a legal education, and have attained “high qualification” after being a lawyer for at least 15 years. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, similar to the US Supreme Court, is the court of last resort for administrative, civil and criminal cases.

Russia is recognized as a successor state of the Soviet Union. The country is one of the five-members of the UN Security Council, playing a major role in international peace and security. After dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country has also engaged in better relations with NATO and the United States.

The National Law Review covers the latest stories which are developing in Russia and around the world. From the interference with the 2016-US Presidential Election, LGBT rights, media freedom and Trade sanctions against Russia are some of the stories visitors will find on the site. Trade relations, embargos, international affairs, and information about the Kremlin, Putin, and the country’s impact on the United States and the rest of the world, are topics which are highly covered on the National Law Review.