The state of emergency and the regime of extraordinary situations in the Russ ian Federation – in the context of natural environment protection

Abstract

Russia’s geographical location, spatially developed industrial, technical and logistic infrastructure, as well as social stratification and a tense political situation all contribute to the potential risk of crises such as natural disasters, technical failures, and social conflicts, which pose a great danger to people’s health and lives, public safety, natural environment and property. There are two institutional solutions to critical situations available in the Russian law. Depending on the seriousness of the danger those can be: introducing the state of emergency or the regime of an extraordinary situation. The aim of this article is to broadly characterize the legal and institutional regulations of the state of emergency and the regime of an extraordinary situation in the Russian Federation, taking into account the aspects concerning natural environment protection.