Vladimir Oblast

The oblast's fauna currently includes more than fifty species of mammals (some examples including elk, wild boar, roe deer, red and sika deer, lynx, wolf, squirrel, rabbit, marten, fox, weasel, badger and other fur-bearing animals), five species of reptiles, and ten species of amphibians. The semiaquatic Russian desman is listed in the Russian Red Book of endangered species. The region is inhabited by 216 species of birds, among which are the capercaillie, black grouse, grouse, partridge, woodcock, goose, duck, etc. The lesser white-fronted goose is listed in the Red Book.

Hunting season runs from October to February with the following license and permit restrictions:

• Elk, wild boar, red deer, and sika deer from mid-November through mid-January
• Hare from October through January
• Grouse, black grouse, woodcock, duck and goose for 10 days in April.

Bodies of water in the region are rich in numerous species (about 40) of fresh-water fish (e.g. eel, roach, pike, perch, bream, rudd, and sturgeon in the Klyazma River), which support ice fishing in winter. Additionally, the oblast has several hunting farms.

The total expanse of the oblast's surface waters is 32.9 hectares.

The region has hundreds of rivers with a total length of more than 8.6 million kilometers—there are 560 rivers and streams throughout the oblast. The Klyazma River flows into the Oka River on the south-eastern edge of the oblast's border with the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The Klyazma River's major tributaries in the Vladimir Region are the Sherna (with the Molokcha flowing into it), the Kirzhach (with its own tributaries being the Big and Small Kirzhach), the Peksha, the Koloksha, the Nerl, the Sudogda, the Uvod, the Lukh and the Suvorosch. Tributaries of the Oka within Vladimir oblast are the Gus, Unzha, and Ushna rivers. The Dubna River, a tributary of the Volga River, originates near the town of Alexandrov. The Oka River is navigable throughout the region (157 km). The rivers in the region are characterized by their flat currents, broad valleys and meandering channels. Water levels are characterized by their high spring tides, low water periods over summer-autumn with occasional flooding during heavy rains, and stable/low levels throughout the winter.

There are about three hundred lakes covering an area of five thousand hectares. Most of them are small and undrained and many are overgrown with a peat layer. The origin of the lakes varies. Numerous oxbow lakes are scattered along the river valleys. The largest of them are Lake Urvanovskoe (12 km long) and Lake Visha (length about 10 km). In the Meshchera Lowlands and in the northwest of the oblast are lakes of ancient alluvial valleys: Isikhry, Svyatoe and others. Lakes of karst origin, located in the lower reaches of the Klyazma and in the center of Vyaznikovsky District (a northeastern district in the oblast), have highly mineralized water and are associated with underground watercourses. The largest and deepest of them is Lake Kshchara. In the districts of Alexandrov and Yuryev-Polsky glacial lakes are small in size.

The main masses of wetlands in the region (total area of 37.4 thousand hectares) occur in Meshchera and Balakhna (in the northeast of the oblast) lowlands.

Vladimir Oblast has a humid continental climate. The region experiences a significant temperature range between day and night during the summer months, which can lead to frequent thunderstorms.

The oblast receives an average of 600-700 millimeters of precipitation annually, with most of it falling in the summer months. Snowfall is common in the winter months, with an average of 50-60 centimeters (20-24 inches) of snowfall per year.

The climate of Vladimir Oblast is influenced by its location in the center of the East European Plain and its distance from the ocean. The oblast is situated far from any major bodies of water, which means that it experiences a greater temperature range and less moderating effects from maritime air masses than regions closer to the coast. However, the region is also shielded from harsh arctic air masses by the Ural Mountains, which lie to the east.[11]

The Legislative Assembly of Vladimir Oblast is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it.

The current 6th convocation was elected in the elections on 8 September 2013 under a mixed system (19 deputies were elected in single-mandate constituencies, 19 on the lists of political parties). Most of the seats are held by United Russia - 32, the Communist Party - 3, the Liberal Democratic Party - 2, A Just Russia - 1. Vladimir Kiselyov (United Russia) was elected Chairman of the Legislative Assembly. On 17 August 2015, Deputy Sergei Kuryshyov (United Russia), who was sentenced to five and a half years in a colony-settlement for a fatal accident while drunk, was prematurely deprived of his mandate.[15]

The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the oblast Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.

The governor is elected by citizens of the Russian Federation residing in the territory of the Vladimir Oblast and possessing active suffrage based on universal, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot for a term of 5 years. Since October 2021, the position has been occupied by Aleksandr Avdeyev, having also won the 2022 Vladimir Oblast gubernatorial election.

Judicial power is exercised by the federal courts, the Vladimir Oblast Court, the Arbitration Court of the Vladimir Oblast, and the Justices of the Peace of the Vladimir Oblast.

Like every federal subject, the Federation Council of the Vladimir Oblast has two representatives: one from the legislative assembly and one from the republic's government.

In the 2021 elections to the State Duma of the 8th convocation (2021-2026), two deputies from the Vladimir Oblast were elected in two constituencies: in constituency No. 79 - Igor Igoshin, in constituency No. 80 - Grigory Anikeyev.[16]

According to party lists of the single federal district (proportional system) in the regional group Vladimir Oblast, three candidates received mandates: Nikolai Burlyaev (A Just Russia), Aleksey Govyrin (United Russia), and Roman Lyabikhov (Communist Party).

According to a 2012 survey[26] 42.3% of the population of Vladimir Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 5.1% are unaffiliated Christians, 1.2% are Eastern Orthodox Christian believers who don't belong to the church or belong to other (non-Russian) Eastern Orthodox churches, and 0.5% of the population are adherents of the Slavic native faith (Rodnovery). In addition, 32% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 13.9% is atheist, and 4.8% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.[26]

• Законодательное Собрание Владимирской области. Постановление №285 от 14 августа 2001 г. «Устав (Основной Закон) Владимирской области», в ред. Закона №209-ОЗ от 30 декабря 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в статьи 28 и 48 Устава (Основного Закона) Владимирской области». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования (23 августа 2001 г.). Опубликован: "Владимирские ведомости", №152–153, 23 августа 2001 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vladimir Oblast. Resolution #285 of August 14, 2001 Charter (Basic Law) of Vladimir Oblast, as amended by the Law #209-OZ of December 30, 2015 On Amending Articles 28 and 48 the Charter (Basic Law) of Vladimir Oblast. Effective as of the day of the official publication (August 23, 2001).).