Federation Council (Russia)

Federation Council

Совет Федерации

*Sovet Federatsii*
Federation Council ; Совет Федерации; Sovet Federatsii
Federal Assembly of Russia
Type
Type	Upper house
History
Founded	1993
Preceded by	Soviet of Nationalities (1991)
Leadership
Chairwoman	Valentina Matviyenko ; since 21 September 2011
First Deputy Chairman	Vladimir Yakushev ; since 25 September 2024
	Andrey Yatskin ; since 23 September 2020
Structure
Seats	178 regional senators; Up to 30 appointed senators
Political groups	Non-partisan
Elections
Voting system	Chosen by regional authorities (178 senators); Appointed by the President of Russia (max 30 senators); Former Presidents (ex officio);
Last election	12 December 1993
Next election	None
Meeting place
	26 Bolshaya Dmitrovka, Moscow
Website
	council.gov.ru

The Federation Council (Russian: Сове́т Федера́ции, Sovet Federatsii), sometimes called the Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (the Russian parliament). The lower house is the State Duma.

The Federation Council was created by the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation. It meets in Moscow.

Members

The Council is made up of representatives from Russia's regions. They are often called "senators". Each of Russia's 89 regions (called federal subjects) sends two representatives. This number includes territories that are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.

One representative is chosen by the region's local parliament.
One representative is chosen by the region's governor (the head of the region).

The President of Russia can also appoint up to 30 more senators. Former presidents can choose to become senators for life after they leave office.

There are no official political parties in the Council. Senators are there to represent their regions, not political parties.

What it does

Because it is the upper house, the Federation Council works with the State Duma to make laws. The Council also has special powers. According to the Constitution, only the Federation Council can:

Approve changes to the borders between Russian regions.
Approve the use of the Russian military outside of Russia.
Announce elections for the President of Russia.
Remove the President from office (impeachment).
Approve judges for Russia's highest courts.

References

↑ "The Russian Federation". Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
↑ "Putin signs laws annexing 4 Ukrainian regions into Russia". Reuters. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
↑ "Chapter 5. The Federal Assembly (Article 95)". The Constitution of the Russian Federation. President of Russia. Retrieved 21 July 2026.^{[permanent dead link]}
↑ "Chapter 5. The Federal Assembly (Article 102)". The Constitution of the Russian Federation. President of Russia. Retrieved 21 July 2026.^{[permanent dead link]}

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[1] "The Russian Federation". Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2026.

[2] "Putin signs laws annexing 4 Ukrainian regions into Russia". Reuters. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2026.

[constitution95-3] "Chapter 5. The Federal Assembly (Article 95)". The Constitution of the Russian Federation. President of Russia. Retrieved 21 July 2026.^{[permanent dead link]}

[constitution102-4] "Chapter 5. The Federal Assembly (Article 102)". The Constitution of the Russian Federation. President of Russia. Retrieved 21 July 2026.^{[permanent dead link]}