According to the Russian Government press-department, the Federal State Nuclear Regulatory, or FSNR, is a federal body of the executive power, which carries out control and supervision of the atomic energy application in the Russian Federation (excluding activities on design, production, testing, operation and decommissioning of the nuclear weapon and military nuclear installations) including licensing, as well as functions in the field of the state security in the mentioned field. The FSNR issues the legal decrees in the field of its competence basing on the Russian Constitution, the federal laws, decrees of the President, the government and the Ministry of Industry and Energy. The FSNR is under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Energy.

The main functions of the FSNR are also to organise and carry out account and control of the nuclear and radioactive materials, radioactive waste, observance laws and regulations in the field of atomic energy application, physical protection of the nuclear installations, radiation sources, storage facilities, and transportation of the nuclear and radioactive materials etc.

The head of the FSNR is allowed to have three deputies and seven departments in accordance with the main activities. The central FSNR office is allowed to employ 155 people and the regional departments may have 1214 people. All these specialists should take care of 213 nuclear sites and 454 places with stored nuclear materials in the various forms, including spent nuclear fuel.