Interethnic stability depends on the policy of the state. It is important to preserve national languages. The legal regulation of the language policy in the Russian Federation contains a contradiction. The subjects of the federation have declared state languages. Compulsory study of the national language of the republic violated their rights regarding free language choice. The scope of national languages has narrowed. This is alarming among ethnic elites. The change in the order of language learning in the regions caused tension between the federal center and the republican elites. This article attempts to analyze the discourses of regional elites on the problem of teaching the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation. The discourse of regional elites is seen as a political discourse. In the regions, the elites adhered to a common discursive strategy. An attempt was made to maintain the practice of positive discrimination of national languages. The political and intellectual elites differed in discursive strategies. The political elite made various appeals to the federal government. The intellectual elite has expressed its negative attitude through social activity. The discussion about the language made it possible for the center and the regions to check the limits of power and the possibilities of mutual influence. Changes in legislation reflected the evolution of relations between the federal center and national republics. The development of Russian federalism shows a movement towards the unification of relations between the regions and the center. What creates additional tension in an asymmetric federation.
