Abstract
The development of Russian economy today is going through a crisis due to political factors that entail a lot of economic and social difficulties. At the same time, one of the major negative factors in the achievement of strategic planning in the Russian Federation is the imbalances in the socio-economic development of regions of the country, which occurred in the 1990s and still persist despite the systematic federal programs aimed at leveling the regions. The paper proposes a methodology which is based on the methods of choosing group representatives, the main component, the level of development, and regression analysis. It allows making a comprehensive assessment of the level of socio-economic development of the Russian regions. The paper presents the results of the study of the most informative indicators and samples. The assessment has been made on 49 indicators taken from 79 regions of Russia. Through the use of development level method, the analytical database was reduced to 13 indicators without losing its informative value. Based on the obtained system of integrated indicators the assessment of the balance of social and economic aspects of the region was made, the common factors of development of the Republic of Crimea were revealed compared to other Russian regions. Furthermore, the determinants of the development of the Russian regions and the Republic of Crimea, in particular, were defined. To do this, the indicators included in the model were selected by step by step regression analysis with the inclusion. In conclusion, the author defines the basic directions for adjustment of the strategy of socio-economic development of the Republic of Crimea.