As a Federal City, Moscow enjoys a unique status in the Russian Federation, operating simultaneously as a municipality and a federal subject (equivalent to a state or province).
The city is governed by the Mayor of Moscow, who acts as the chief executive. The legislative branch is the Moscow City Duma, a unicameral body whose members are elected from single-mandate districts.
Administratively, Moscow is divided into 12 distinct administrative okrugs (boroughs or districts), which are further subdivided into more than 120 raions (districts). These local levels manage municipal services, local infrastructure, and neighborhood initiatives. As the capital, Moscow also houses the entire apparatus of the Russian federal government, including the Presidency at the Kremlin, the bicameral Federal Assembly, and the Supreme Court.
