Viner T. Sitdikov, Dinara F. Abdullina, Natalie A. Shergeng
This paper aims in the interpretation of the reasons why cultural and territorial autonomies in prerevolutionary, Soviet and contemporary Russia occur in the directions opposite to every previous stage. Their legal definitions reflect that they provide different ways to realize personal autonomy through access to the advantages of community’s autonomy. Considering state policy and state institutions using historical and legal material, the paper analyzes implications regarding improvement of the constitutional-legal status of all the individuals and their groups, and identifies their developing relationships with the state. The study shows that in contemporary multicultural and multinational Russian society, where group interests have dominated over personal interests and peoples have lived together for many centuries without the need for minority’s accommodation, the legal concept of autonomy mainly points to the ethnic, religious or linguistic character of the community.