The model of federal relations enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation is constantly evolving as a result of the development of legislative regulation and the practice of its application. The article analyzes its development in the period 2000 - 2003 on the basis of the Federal Law “On the general principles of the organization of legislative (representative) and executive bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation”, in particular, such changes as the introduction of the institute of federal influence (coercion); clarification of the role of contracts and agreements concluded between the executive authorities of the Russian Federation and the subjects of the Federation in regulating federal relations; improvement of the division of powers between the federal center and the subjects of the Federation, including budgetary federalism. Russian federalism is regarded as cooperative, the legal space of which cannot be formed without the participation of the subjects of the Federation. The author substantiates that in the sphere of joint management, federal public authorities should be guided by the principle of “reasonable restraint” and not intrude into those relations that a subject of the Russian Federation can regulate without prejudice to the qualitative fulfillment of the tasks of public authority. At the same time, the subjects of the Federation should not emphasize their specifics, it is necessary to proceed from the principle of consolidation of legislation, the creation of uniform rules operating in a single economic space. The author comes to the conclusion that the incompleteness of the constitutional regulation of federal relations allows them to evolve in different directions, to look for an optimal model of the federal structure for Russia.