Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Constitution of Russia defines the federation as consisting of republics, krais, oblasts, cities of federal importance, an autonomous oblast, and autonomous okrugs. These entities hold equal rights in their relations with federal government bodies despite varying degrees of autonomy.
The merging process concluded on the 1st of March 2008 when these territories became administrative-territorial regions with special status. Four of these merged territories have a second official language besides Russian such as Buryat or Komi-Permian.
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug holds just 47,902 people across 721,481 square kilometers while Ingushetia has 534,219 residents living at 147.25 per square kilometer. These two Muslim republics maintain safety records showing alcohol poisoning rates 40 times lower than federal averages despite poverty levels.
Russia claimed Sevastopol and the Republic of Crimea as the 84th and 85th federal subjects following the 2014 annexation. International law does not recognize these claims despite their inclusion in official Russian lists.
The Federation Council grants each subject two delegates regardless of population size or economic strength. This shift marked a departure from unlimited sovereignty previously granted to federal subjects under earlier constitutions.