DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE XXI CENTURY

Since the end of the Cold War, the Russian Federation has experienced a painful transition. During this period, complex processes took place in the economic, social and political fields. As a result of these processes, several uncertainties began to arise in domestic and foreign policy. One of the problems that the Yeltsin administration has not been able to solve is the inability to stop the narrowing of Russia's geopolitical sphere of influence. By 1991, the western borders of the country were reduced from the middle of Germany to 200 km from Moscow. A controversial situation arose over Japan over the Kuril Islands in the east. In addition, the country separated from its allies in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific, and other regions. On the other hand, competition between Moscow and the West, which was due to ideological reasons during the Cold War, continued. The above picture represents the main dilemmas that Russia faced in the post-Soviet period. President Vladimir Putin has developed new approaches to overcome the economic, administrative and political problems that have arisen during the transition period, and to eliminate shortcomings in foreign policy. Following a pragmatic line, the administration of Vladimir Putin first improved the economic situation in Russia and took measures to strengthen the influence of the central government in domestic politics. Thus, Russia, having strengthened inside the country, was also able to pursue an effective foreign policy abroad. The article analyzes the priorities of Russian foreign policy at the present stage