The government of the Soviet Union controlled many aspects of life in the country. It exerted great influence over religion, education, and the arts. The independence of Russia following the breakup of the Soviet Union brought greater freedom and triggered many other changes in the lives of the people...

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The people of Russia are distributed unevenly throughout the country. The vast majority live in the western - or European - part of Russia. The more rugged and remote areas to the east are sparsely inhabited...

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The former Soviet government had a political police system called the Committee on State Security, known as the KGB. The KGB could interfere with and influence the legal system, and major violations of human rights took place. The KGB no longer exists in Russia. Today, Russia has two security agencies. The Federal Counterintelligence Service handles internal security, and the Foreign Intelligence Service collects information from other countries. In addition, Russia's 1993 constitution protects the civil rights of all Russian citizens. The prosecutor-general, who serves as the chief legal officer of Russia, is nominated by the president and is approved by the Federation Council.

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The Communist Party was the only legal political party in the Soviet Union until March 1990. At that time, the Soviet Constitution - which gave the Communist Party its broad powers - was amended. A loose coalition of political parties with a democratic platform, known as the Democratic Russia Movement, began to play a key role in the reform movement. The Democratic Russia Movement secured Yeltsin's victory in a free presidential election held in June 1991. The collapse of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union caused the Democratic Russia Movement to break apart. Groups that had opposed the Soviet Communist Party developed into separate political parties.

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In 1992 - shortly after the Soviet Union broke up - Russia established a transitional (temporary) government headed by Boris N. Yeltsin. Yeltsin had been elected president of the R.S.F.S.R. in 1991. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin continued to serve as president of Russia. In December 1993, Russia adopted a new constitution that established a permanent government.

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Russia extends from the Arctic Ocean south to the Black Sea and from the Baltic Sea east to the Pacific Ocean. It covers much of the continents of Europe and Asia. Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia. St. Petersburg, on the coast of the Baltic Sea, is Russia's chief seaport...

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