Tsardom of Russia (Russkoye Tsarstvo, Русское царство) (1547 – 1721)
Heads of State of the Tsardom of Russia
Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia (Gosudar’, Tsar i Veliky Knyaz’ vseya Rusi, Государь, Царь и Великий Князь всея Руси)
Ruler
Dynasty
Dates
Peter I “the Great” (Pyotr I Alekseyevich “Velikiy”)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 14 1820; d. January 9 1876.
House of Romanov
May 7 1682 – November 2 1721
Russian Empire (Rossíyskaya Impériya, Россійская Имперія)(1721 – 1917)
Heads of State of the Russian Empire
Emperor and Autocrat of all Russia (Imperator i Samoderzhets Vserossiyskiy, Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссійскій)
Ruler
Dynasty
Dates
Peter I “the Great” (Pyotr I Alekseyevich “Velikiy”)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 14 1820; d. January 9 1876.
House of Romanov
November 2 1721 – February 8 1725
Catherine I (Yekaterina I Alekseyevna Mikhaylova)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 15 1684; d. May 17 1727.
House of Romanov
February 8 1725 – May 17 1727
Peter II (Pyotr II Alekseyevich)
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 23 1715; d. January 30 1730.
House of Romanov
May 18 1727 – January 30 1730
Anna (Anna Ivanovna)
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 23 1715; d. January 30 1730.
House of Romanov
February 26 1730 – October 28 1740
Ivan VI (Ivan VI Antonovich)
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 23 1740; d. July 16 1764.
House of Romanov—Brunswick-Lüneburg
October 28 1740 – December 6 1741
Elizabeth (Elizaveta Petrovna)
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 29 1709; d. January 5 1762.
House of Romanov
December 6 1741 – January 5 1762
Heads of State of Russia
Russian Empire
Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia
Peter I the Great
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 9 1672; d. February 8 1725.
House of Romanov
1682 – 1721
Emperor and Autocrat of all Russia
Peter I the Great
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 9 1672; d. February 8 1725.
House of Romanov
1721 – 1725
Catherine II the Great
Date of birth/date of death: b. May 2 1729; d. November 17 1796.
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov – Oldenburg
1762 – 1796
Paul
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 1 1754; d. March 23 1801.
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov – Oldenburg
1796 – 1801
Alexander I
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 23 1777; d. December 1 1825.
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov – Oldenburg
1801 – 1825
Nicholas I
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 6 1796; d. March 2 1855.
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov – Oldenburg
1825 – 1855
Alexander II
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 29 1818; d. March 13 1881.
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov – Oldenburg
1855 – 1881
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 26 1896; d. August 31 1948.
All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
1922 – 1938
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 26 1896; d. August 31 1948.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1938 – 1946
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 19 1906; d. November 10 1982.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1960 – 1964
Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 18 1903; d. January 12 1983.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1965 – 1977
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 19 1906; d. November 10 1982.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1977 – 1982
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 15 1914; d. February 9 1984.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1983 – 1984
Andrei Anreyevich Gromyko
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 18 1909; d. July 2 1989.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1985 – 1988
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 2 1931; d. August 30 2022.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1988 – 1989
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 2 1931; d. August 30 2022.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1989 – 1990
President of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 2 1931; d. August 30 2022.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1990 – 1991
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Congress of Soviet
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 26 1896; d. August 31 1948.
All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
1919 – 1938
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 26 1896; d. August 31 1948.
All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
1938 – 1947
Mikhail Petrovich Tarasov
Date of birth/date of death: b. 1899; d. 1970.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1950 – 1959
Nikolai Grigoryevich Ignatov
Date of birth/date of death: b. May 16 1902; d. November 14 1966.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1959
Nikolai Nikolayevich Organov
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 27 1901; d. May 5 1982.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1959 – 1962
Nikolai Grigoryevich Ignatov
Date of birth/date of death: b. May 16 1902; d. November 14 1966.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1962 – 1966
Mikhail Alekseyevich Yasnov
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 5 1906; d. July 23 1991.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1966 – 1985
Vladimir Pavlovich Orlov
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 16 1921; d. April 4 1999.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1985 – 1988
Vitaly Ivanovich Vorotnikov
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 20 1926; d. February 19 2012.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1988 – 1990
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1990 – 1991
President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1991
Russian Federation
Heads of State of the Russian Federation
Upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the President of the Russian SFSR, Boris Yeltsin, became the first president of the new Russian Federation. During the early post-Soviet years, the powers of the presidency were not clearly defined. Russia continued to operate under heavily amended Soviet-era constitutional structures, producing significant conflicts between President Yeltsin and the legislature. These tensions culminated in the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, in which Yeltsin attempted to dissolve the parliament while legislators declared him removed from office. The confrontation escalated into armed conflict in Moscow before forces loyal to the president regained control.
In the aftermath of the crisis, a new constitution was approved by referendum in December 1993. The Constitution of Russia established a strong presidential system in which the president serves as head of state, appoints the prime minister (subject to parliamentary approval), and holds extensive powers over the executive branch, foreign policy, and the security apparatus. Under the 1993 constitution, the Russian president is elected by popular vote for a fixed term and acts as the central figure in the country’s political system. The office has generally exercised considerable influence over both government policy and the broader political structure.
After Yeltsin’s resignation on December 31, 1999, power passed to his prime minister, Vladimir Putin, who became acting president and was subsequently elected in 2000. Putin’s presidency saw a significant centralization of political authority within the federal government. Putin served two consecutive terms before being succeeded in 2008 by Dmitry Medvedev, while Putin became prime minister. During Medvedev’s presidency, a constitutional amendment extended the presidential term from four years to six. Putin returned to the presidency in 2012 and has remained the dominant figure in Russian politics since that time. Further constitutional amendments approved in 2020 reset presidential term limits for the incumbent president, allowing Putin to remain in office beyond the limits previously established by the constitution.
President of the Russian Federation
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1991 – 1993
Alexander Vladimirovich Rutskoy (*acting; disputed)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 16 1947.
Independent
1993
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1993 – 1999
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 7 1952.
Independent
1999 – 2000
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 7 1952.
Independent
2000 – 2008
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 14 1965.
Independent
2008 – 2012
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 7 1952.
Independent
2012 – present
Deputy Heads of State of the Russian Federation
The office of Vice President of the Russian Federation existed only briefly during the early post-Soviet transition. The position was created in 1991 alongside the presidency, and Alexander Rutskoy was elected as the country’s only vice president on the same ticket as Boris Yeltsin. The office was abolished after the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, and the new Constitution of Russia did not restore it, leaving the prime minister rather than a vice president as the president’s primary deputy.
Vice President of the Russian Federation
Alexander Vladimirovich Rutskoy
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 16 1947.
Independent
1991 – 1993
Heads of Government of the Russian Federation
The modern office of prime minister traces its origins to the final years of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). In 1991, as Boris Yeltsin assumed the newly created presidency, the head of government remained the chairman of the Council of Ministers, a position inherited from the Soviet system. This role was soon redefined as the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, marking a shift toward a more conventional governmental structure. During the transitional period (1991 – 1993), the division of powers between president and government was not yet clearly defined (the first head of government of the Russian Federation was Yeltsin, acting in his capacity as president), contributing to institutional instability.
The role of the prime minister was formalized in the 1993 Constitution, adopted following the Russian constitutional crisis of that year. Under the new framework, the prime minister serves as head of government and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administration of the state. The prime minister is nominated by the president and must be approved by the lower house of parliament (the State Duma). If the Duma repeatedly rejects the president’s nominee, the president may dissolve the legislature and call new elections, underscoring the dominance of the presidency within the system.
Although the prime minister is formally the head of government, the office operates within a political system in which the president holds decisive authority. The president sets overall policy direction, while the prime minister is primarily responsible for implementing government policy and managing the cabinet. In practice, the influence of the prime minister has varied depending on political circumstances. During the 1990s, under Yeltsin, the office was often unstable, with frequent changes reflecting political and economic turmoil.
Head of Government of the Russian Federation
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1991 – 1992
Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Yegor Timurovich Gaidar (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 19 1956; d. December 16 2009.
Independent
1992
Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 9 1938; d. November 3 2010.
Independent (1992 – 1995); Our Home – Russia (1995 – 1998)
1992 – 1998
Sergey Vladilenovich Kiriyenko (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 26 1962.
Independent
1998
Sergey Vladilenovich Kiriyenko
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 26 1962.
Independent
1998
Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 9 1938; d. November 3 2010.
Our Home – Russia
1998
Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 29 1929; d. June 26 2015.
Independent
1998 – 1999
Sergei Vadimovich Stepashin (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 2 1952.
Independent
1999
Sergei Vadimovich Stepashin
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 2 1952.
Independent
1999
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1999
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1999 – 2000
Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasyanov (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 8 1957.
Independent
2000
Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasyanov
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 8 1957.
Independent
2000 – 2004
Viktor Borisovich Khristenko (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 28 1957.
Independent
2004
Mikhail Yefimovich Fradkov
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 1 1950.
Independent
2004
Mikhail Yefimovich Fradkov (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 1 1950.
Independent
2004
Mikhail Yefimovich Fradkov
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 1 1950.
Independent
2004 – 2007
Mikhail Yefimovich Fradkov (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 1 1950.
Independent
2007
Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 15 1941.
United Russia
2007 – 2008
Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 15 1941.
United Russia
2008
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
United Russia
2008 – 2012
Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 15 1941.
United Russia
2012
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 14 1965.
United Russia
2012 – 2018
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 14 1965.
United Russia
2018
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 14 1965.
United Russia
2018 – 2020
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 14 1965.
United Russia
2020
Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 3 1966.
Independent
2020
Andrey Removich Belousov (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 17 1959.
Independent
2020
Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 3 1966.
Independent
2020 – 2024
Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 3 1966.
Independent
2024
Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 3 1966.
Independent
2024 – present
Heads of Government of Russia
Russian Empire
President of the State Council of the Russian Empire
Count Nikolay Petrovich Rumyantsev
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 3 1754; d. January 3 1826.
1810 – 1812
Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Russian Empire
Count Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 17 1832; d. July 3 1908.
1872 – 1880
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Chair of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 22 1870; d. January 21 1924.
Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
1922 – 1924
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 9 1890; d. November 8 1986.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1930 – 1941
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 18 1878; d. March 5 1953.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1941 – 1946
Chair of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 18 1878; d. March 5 1953.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1946 – 1953
Nikolai Alexandrovich Bulganin
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 11 1895; d. February 24 1975.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1955 – 1958
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 15 1894; d. September 11 1971.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1958 – 1964
Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 21 1904; d. December 18 1980.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1964 – 1980
Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 28 1929; d. February 28 2024.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1985 – 1991
First Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 9 1890; d. November 8 1986.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1942 – 1957
Nikolai Alexandrovich Bulganin
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 11 1895; d. February 24 1975.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1950 – 1955
Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 21 1904; d. December 18 1980.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1960 – 1964
Andrei Anreyevich Gromyko
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 18 1909; d. July 2 1989.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1983 – 1985
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Chair of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin)
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 22 1870; d. January 21 1924.
Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
1917 – 1924
Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 21 1904; d. December 18 1980.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1943 – 1946
Mikhail Alekseyevich Yasnov
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 5 1906; d. July 23 1991.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1956 – 1957
Vitaly Ivanovich Vorotnikov
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 20 1926; d. February 19 2012.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1983 – 1988
Oleg Ivanovich Lobov (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 7 1937; d. September 6 2018.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1991
Head of Government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 1 1931; d. April 23 2007.
Independent
1991
First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Oleg Ivanovich Lobov
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 7 1937; d. September 6 2018.
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1991
Russian Federation
First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation
Yegor Timurovich Gaidar
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 19 1956; d. December 16 2009.
1992
Yegor Timurovich Gaidar
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 19 1956; d. December 16 2009.
1993 – 1994
Anatoly Borisovich Chubais
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 16 1955.
1994 – 1996
Vladimir Olegovich Potanin
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 3 1961.
1996 – 1997
Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 9 1959; d. February 27 2015.
1997 – 1998
Sergey Vladilenovich Kiriyenko
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 26 1962.
Independent
1998
Nikolay Yemelyanovich Aksyonenko
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 15 1949; d. July 20 2005.
1999 – 2000
Viktor Borisovich Khristenko
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 28 1957.
Independent
1999 – 2000
Sergei Vadimovich Stepashin
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 2 1952.
1999
Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasyanov
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 8 1957.
2000
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 14 1965.
2005 – 2008
Sergei Borisovich Ivanov
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 31 1953.
2007 – 2008
Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 15 1941.
United Russia
2008 – 2012
Igor Ivanovich Shuvalov
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 4 1967.
2008 – 2018
Anton Germanovich Siluanov
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 12 1963.
United Russia
2018 – 2020
Andrey Removich Belousov
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 17 1959.
2020 – 2024