Putin: Russia will never return to Soviet state structure

Vladimir Putin rules out the possibility for Russia to return to the Soviet state structure.

"Russia's federative system is not based on the Soviet model," the president said at a meeting with Scotland's academic circles.

He recalled that federal districts were established in Russia "to move the federal functions closer to the regions." "We believe that administering from the centre everything that takes place in the region is not only impossible but also inefficient," Putin said.