An analysis of the new federal legislation on local self-government has allowed us to draw conclusions about the methods for integrating local government bodies into a unified system of public authority. Aspects of such integration include: the inclusion of heads of municipalities in the vertical executive branch of public authority; increased influence of higher-ranking officials on their activities; the concentration of the powers of a deputy, chairman of a representative body, head of a municipality, and head of a local administration in one person; and the possibility of combining a municipal position with a position state civil service. These changes indicate the formation of, in essence, a third level of government, replacing the previous model of local self-government.