Constitutional bases of the Russian Federation subjects’ international activity: historical context

Russian federal model allows territorial subjects of the Federation to maintain international relations, sign agreements, participate in implementation of the Russian Federation’s international treaties. The volume of such participation in the international activity, as well as spheres of cooperation and methods are established by the Constitution of the country and federal legislation. Subjects of the Russian Federation are active participants of such relations, but the volume of constitutionally allowable powers in this sphere was not the same in different historical periods. Soviet heritage exerts its influence on the experience of the nowadays Russian Federation. In this article we endeavour to define what comprised the constitutional regulation in international relations during the Soviet period, how this practice affected regulations of the modern Constitution of the Russian Federation which confirmed the right of the Federation’s territorial subjects to participate in international relations. Historical approach to studying one of the Russian federal state’s modern problems is necessary to ensure full comprehension of tendencies in further development of the federal relations.