The 2025 local self-government reform in Russia: transition to a unified public power model

Introduction. The current stage of Russia's constitutional development is characterized by the integration of local self-government into a unified system of public power. This process, initiated by the 2020 constitutional amendments, signifies a radical change in the principles of the original local self-government model established by the 1993 Constitution and generates significant scholarly and practical interest. The relevance of the study is due to the ongoing process of reforming municipal legislation, which culminated in the adoption of Federal Law No. 33-FZ dated March 20, 2025 "On the General Principles of Organizing local Self-Government in a unified system of public Authority."

Purpose. To conduct a comprehensive analysis of the constitutional and legislative innovations defining the new elements of the status of local self-government entities and to identify the systemic problems arising from this reform.

Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the research comprises comparative legal and formal legal methods. The study analyzes the texts of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal legislation (including new Federal Law № 33 of March 20, 2025, "On the General Principles of Organizing Local Self-Government in the Unified System of Public Power"), as well as rulings of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. The theoretical foundation of the article is based on doctrinal provisions concerning the nature of municipal power.

Results. The article presents the author's perspective on key aspects of the reform, including the erosion of the constitutional category "issues of local significance" and the replacement of the territorial and organizational autonomy of local self-government with rigid state standards. Arguments are put forward supporting the thesis of the actual loss of local self-government's autonomous essence. The author's vision of the problem is presented as a systemic contradiction between the new model and the provisions of Articles 12 and 130 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Conclusions. The article argues that the 2020 constitutional amendments and subsequent legislative regulation lead to the transformation of local self-government from an autonomous form of popular sovereignty into a sub-regional level of public power, integrated into the national governance vertical. This entails the abandonment of its autonomy and gives rise to legal conflicts.