Abstract. The state legal regulation of international and foreign economic relations of Russian regions, implemented in a variety of forms and directions, is integrated into the country’s constitutional and legal system. From the 1990s to the present day, it has undergone significant evolution, adapting to changes in the development of the state. The analysis of the regulatory framework presented in this article reveals the dynamics of changes in the political and legal status of the regions in the context of their international activities, characterized by a gradual restriction of their previous unstructured independence and a transition to more methodical supervision by certain federal authorities. Particular attention is paid to the regions’ actorness from the perspective of international relations theory, as well as their legal capacity in their international activities from a legal standpoint, the forms and methods of their participation in international relations, and the legally enshrined conceptual apparatus defining such activities. Having gone from previous independence to control, the regions’ external relations have not only retained their paradiplomatic potential but have also gained new opportunities thanks to institutional support and resources from the federal center, ensuring more efficient and controlled participation in international cooperation within the framework of national interests.
Key words: external relations of regions, subnational actors, international activities of regions, Russian regional paradiplomacy, cross-border cooperation, regional foreign trade activities, foreign economic and international relations of Russian Federation subjects.