Supreme Soviet of Russia

   Previously known as the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Supreme Soviet was the highest power in Russia from 1938 until 1990. The body was elected in a secret ballot by the Congress of People’s Deputies. As the result of legislative changes in the 1990s, the Supreme Soviet became subjugated to the power of the Congress of People’s Deputies. From this point onward, the Supreme Soviet was nominally divided between two bodies: the Soviet of the Republic and the Soviet of Nationalities. The parliamentary body was abolished in wake of the constitutional crisis of 1993, partly as the result of its leader Ruslan Khasbulatov’s role in the crisis.

   See also State Duma; Yeltsin, Boris.