Selsoviet or selsovet (Russian: сельсове́т, short for се́льский сове́т), literally: rural soviet, was the lowest level administrative subdivision, similar to a rural district, in rural areas in the Soviet Union. It was preserved in most of the Russian Federation. A selsoviet is subordinated to a raion (district). In local government on the British Isles, a rural district was a predominantly rural area used for local government. ... See rayon for the textile made of processed cellulose. ...

Larger settlements, both rural and urban had settlement councils (поселко́вые сове́ты), which were of the same administrative level as selsoviets. Townlet is an attempt to translate the Russian term posyolok gorodskogo tipa (посёлок городского типа) or the similar Ukrainian selyshche miskoho typu (селище міського типу)—literally urban-type settlement. A townlet was one of the results of Soviet urban design, a locality intermediate in character and status between towns...

Indication of the selsoviet was part of a rural postal address (notice the "upside-down" order of routing); for example:

БССР (Byelorussian SSR),

Могилевская область (Mogilev oblast),

Климовичский район (Klimovichi raion),

Савиничский сельсовет (Savinichi selsoviet),

д. Городешня (Gorodeshnya village)

Lenin Street (existed in virtually any sufficiently large settlement)

for Smychkov Dmitry (quite often there were no street numbers)

The name coincides with the name of the local rural self-administration, Rural Soviet, a part of the Soviet system of administration. A selsoviet was headed by the Chairman of Selsoviet (председатель сельсовета). State motto: Пралетарыі ўсіх краін, яднайцеся! Official language None. ... Mahilyow, or Mahileu (Belarusian: Магілёў; Russian: Могилёв (Mogilev), Polish Mohylew or Mogilew) is a city in the eastern Belarus, close to the border to Russia with about 300,000 inhabitants. ... An oblast (Russian, Ukrainian: о́бласть) is a subnational entity of Bulgaria, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the now-defunct Soviet Union, approximately equivalent to a province. ... Categories: Belarus-related stubs | Towns in Belarus | Chernobyl accident ... See rayon for the textile made of processed cellulose. ... A soviet ( Russian: сове́т) originally was a workers local council in late Imperial Russia. ...

Formally, a selsoviet is to be elected by a Rural Meeting (сельский сход). However since certain moment the Chairman of the Selsoviet had to be appointed by higher administration.

For a considerable period of Soviet history passports of rural residents were stored in selsoviet offices, and people could not move outside their area of residence without the permission of selsoviet.

Selsoviets in Russian Federation

Subdivision into selsoviets largely remained after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However in many places the terminology changed, to reflect national specifics (the list may be incomplete): The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ...

• Adygeya—rural districts (сельские округа).
• Buryatia—selsovets are used together with somons (сомоны). Both types are on the same administrative level, with somons covering areas which are more ethnic in population.
• Kalmykia & Karachay-Cherkessia—rural municipalities (сельские муниципальные образования).
• Republic of Karelia—rural administrations (сельские администрации)
• North Ossetia-Alania—rural settlements administrations (администрации сельских поселений).
• Sakha (Yakutia)—naslegs (наслеги)
• Tuva Republic—sumons (сумоны)

In the modern Russian Federation, local self-administration is not included into the governmental system of the state. Each subnational entity of the Russian Federation has its own statute that defines the scope of local self-administration, including selsoviets (if applicable). The Republic of Adygea (Russian: Респу́блика Адыге́я; Adyghe: Адыгэ Республик) is a Russian Federation (a republic) enclaved within Krasnodar Krai. ... In local government on the British Isles, a rural district was a predominantly rural area used for local government. ... The Buryat Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Буря́тия; Buryat: Буряад Республика) is a Russian Federation (a republic). ... Sum in government refers to an administrative unit. ... The Republic of Kalmykia (Russian: Респу́блика Калмы́кия; Kalmyk: Хальм Тангч) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... The Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia (Russian: Карача́ево-Черке́сская респу́блика, or, less formal, Карача́ево-Черке́ссия) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... For other uses of Karelia, see Karelia (disambiguation). ... The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Russian: Респу́блика Се́верная Осе́тия-Ала́ния; Ossetic: Цæгат Ирыстоны Аланийы Республикæ) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... The Sakha (Yakutia) Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Саха́ (Яку́тия); Yakut: Саха Республиката) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... The Tuva Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Тыва́; Tuvan: Тыва Республика) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... Sum in government refers to an administrative unit. ... A government is an organization that has the power to make and enforce laws for a certain territory. ... A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ...