A specialist in federalism, the author reflects on the federal political culture in its relationship with the values of democracy and the principles of political competition. Analysing the dynamics of institutional processes in Russia, he comes to a paradoxical definition of the country’s political structure as a ‘unitary federation’ similar to the imperial model. However, the author believes that Russia is ‘doomed’ to federalism, which is the only way to preserve its territorial integrity and accelerate democratic transit.