The Legal Status of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Past and Present

Introduction. The article analyses the origins and development of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including the imperial, Soviet and modern periods, and looks at its legal status in different historical periods. Methods. The study uses general scientific and special legal research methods. The historical method allows us to draw parallels between the legal statuses of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences. We have used the formal legal method to analyse the current legislation and doctrinal approaches to regulating the legal status of the Academy of Sciences in various periods, especially during the Russian Academy of Sciences restructuring in 2013–2018. Results and Discussion. The article explores the legal status of the Russian Academy of Sciences at different stages of its formation and development, analyses the reasons, goals, and results of the Russian Academy of Sciences' restructuring and reform in 2013–2018, highlights the positive and negative aspects of the reform, and gives reasons for the unresolved problems caused by the Russian Academy of Sciences' dual legal status. Conclusion. We draw conclusions regarding the current legal status of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the nuances behind the higher scientific institution status in Russia.