GALINA V. SDASYUK' Russia: Problems of Regional Integration in Transitional Economy Danger of regional distinegration of Russia is recognized by experts, many officials and people at large. The danger is growing to repeat the USSR disintegration pattern—forces are at work acting in this direction from inside and outside the country. Problem of regional integration was a subject of joint Indo-Soviet geographical studies during 1960-1980s. A number of seminars took place in rotation in India and the USSR, six books were published. Under the request of the United Nations Centre for Regional Development, Nagoya, Japan, addressed to the USSR Geographical Society, a monograph was published "Economic Regionalisation of the USSR: Theory Methods and Practices", Nagoya, Japan, 1995 summarizing the gist of vast experience gained during 1920s -beginning of 1980s. The origin, concept and principles of planning system in Soviet Russia in 1920s based on regional approach to development deserve to be studied not only by historians. As major macro-regions for planning large enough areas were delineated. Endowed with adequate natural and human resources for specialization on energy production cycles of all-national importance and integral economy capable to meet regional requirements as much as possible in essential commodities (food, building materials, etc). Realization of these principles was aimed to minimise volume of inter-regional transportation while greatly increasing economic efficiency through intra-regional integration of economy (development of territorial-production complexes - TPC) and the best use of regional combination of resources. Macro-regional specialisation increases inter-dependence and spatial integration of the country as a whole. At the same time * Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Social Scientist, Vol. 29, Nos. 7- 8, July-August 2000