In Russia, there are 8 federal okrugs (sometimes translated as districts), plus Moscow* and Saint Petersburg*. These okrugs are important to remember for competitions within Russia.
Each okrug is made of several oblasts, which are similar to states in many other countries. Gymnasts represent their home oblast in okrug competitions each year, usually once or twice per year. If selected, they then go on to represent their okrug in national competitions such as the Russian Championships or the Russian Cup.
For example, Denis Ablyazin represents the city of Penza. Each year, he competes in the Federal Okrug Championship, in particular, the Volga Federal Okrug Championships as a representative of the Penzenskaya oblast'. In the Russian Championships, he then represents Penza, the Penzenskaya oblast' and the Volga Federal Okrug.
It can be somewhat confusing at first, but it is similar to other systems. For those of you who understand the American Junior Olympic system, think of it as the way regions work in the upper level competitions such as the Level 10 National Championships.
Here is a breakdown of the Russian Federal Okrug system using only current National Team members. Gymnasts are grouped first by federal okrug, then by oblast. The city they represent is in parenthesis following their name.
*Moscow and Saint Petersburg do not follow this format. Gymnasts from these cities do not represent an oblast', and in national competitions they simply represent either Moscow or Saint Petersburg.