The article analyzes strategic planning and management in Russia. At present the latter can be characterized as lacking a unified methodological approach to devising strategies of territorial socio-economic development, including mechanisms of strategy implementation. Conceptually this study relies on the theory of strategic management, regional and spatial economics, on dialectical, cause-and-effect, and other methods. An overview of approaches to strategies in Russian and international studies is provided. The article also describes the long-term challenges faced by Russian economy at the turn of the millennium and the goals of national development. The main stages of strategic planning are outlined as well as the current state of strategic planning and management. It is shown that strategic planning and management are crucial for the development of territories on all levels (municipal, regional and national). A special emphasis is placed on the case of Ekaterinburg and other large Russian cities and the possibilities of using their experience in other territories. Some recommendations are formulated as to the ways and means of creating mechanisms for implementation of socio-development strategies. The resulting algorithm is shown to be optimal for building strategy implementation mechanisms, which makes this study both theoretically and practically relevant
