The ministry was formed on January, 29, 1992 by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation #61 on the basis of the Ministry of Nuclear Power and Industry of the USSR.

The Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russia is a federal executive authority which realizes the state policy in the field of development, production and recycling of nuclear devices and armament, provides public administration of atomic energy use and coordinates activities of other federal executive bodies in this sphere.

The Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russia within the limits of its competence is responsible for the present state and further development of nuclear weapon and power complexes of the Russian Federation.

The Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russia carries out the following activities

in the field of the nuclear complex:

- supervision of development of nuclear devices and armament;
- organization of production, tests, modernization, recycling of nuclear weapon materials;
 - maintenance of mobilization preparedness of the enterprises and organizations of the nuclear complex;
- participation in forecasting and development of the state programs projects concerning usage of atomic energy;

in the field of nuclear and radiation safety, labour safety:

- organization and coordination of work on accident prevention;
- development and realization of branch and federal special purpose programs in the field of radioactive waste utilization;
- organization of development of federal and branch norms and rules in the field of use of atomic energy;
- organization of work on formation of objective public opinion on use of atomic energy and providing necessary information on activity of the enterprises and organizations of the nuclear complex to the population;
- maintenance of safe working conditions and strict control at the enterprises and organizations of the nuclear complex;
- organization of scientific researches of these problems;

in the field of maintenance of proper functioning of the nuclear complex:

- coordination of activity of the enterprises and organizations of the nuclear complex with the object of realization of coordinated scientific and technical, financial, investment and external economic policy;
- formation of the branch centralized funds and determination of their end use;
- development of inter-branch scientific and technical programs, development of federal special purpose programs in the field of nuclear science and engineering;
- coordination of realization of scientific and technical innovational projects in development of the nuclear complex at federal, inter-branch and branch levels;
- participation in standardization, metrology, certification and quality improvement at the enterprises and organizations of the nuclear complex;

in the field of public management of the enterprises and organizations of the nuclear complex:

- development of forecasts and programs of social and economic development of the nuclear complex;
- introduction of proposals on tax and credit policy perfection;
- control of end and safe keeping of the federal property of the enterprises and organizations of the nuclear complex;
- preparation of proposals on creation and liquidation of the state unitary enterprises of the nuclear complex;
- participation in licensing of activities in the field of atomic energy use, as well as in export and import of nuclear materials, equipment, special non-nuclear materials and corresponding technologies;

in the field of international activity:

- participation in international cooperation in atomic energy use;
- observance of international obligations and guarantees of the Russian Federation in the sphere of nuclear weapon, atomic engineering and nuclear technologies.

The Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russia is empowered with corresponding rights and powers for proper realization of theses tasks and functions.