The natural resource factor in contemporary Russian politics

The paper defines and characterizes the actual significance of the natural resource factor in Russian politics based on the comparison of statistical data and political events of 2015-2020 in the conceptual prism of the provisions of C. Boix, M. Weber, M. Ross, J. Habermas, and others. It is concluded that despite the temporary reduction in the share of oil and gas revenues in the structure of the state budget of the Russian Federation due to objective reasons (the COVID-19 pandemic, sanctions, a drop in production because of resource depletion, the offensive of competitors promoting liquefied natural gas, etc.), revenues from the sale of natural resources generally remain the basis of the budget. This, in turn, ensures the stable functioning of the neo-patrimonial government and supports the mechanism of its legitimization based on pragmatic and instrumental agreement.