Table 1. The number of enterprises in Russian Federation on 01.08.2016

Source: Resource center of small business, http://rcsme.ru/ru/statistics

Table 2. Criteria for determination of the type of the enterprise

Source: Resource center of small business, http://rcsme.ru/ru/statistics

As of January 1, 2015, according to Rosstat, in the Russian Federation were registered and operated 4.5 million small and medium-sized businesses, which employed more than 18 million people, accounting for 25% of total employment in the economy (Table 3).

The basis of the small and medium enterprises sector are individual entrepreneurs – 2.4 million or 53.3% of all small and medium enterprises and microenterprises – 1.9 million or 41% of all small and medium enterprises. Small businesses account for 5.2% of the total, while the average is 0.3% of the total number of small and medium enterprises. At the same time the micro enterprises and individual entrepreneurs sector employs more than half of all people employed in the SME sector – 55%.

Table 3. Activity of enterprises and individual entrepreneurs, 01.01.2015

Source: Resource center of small business, http://rcsme.ru/ru/statistics
The future of the Russian economy is largely dependent on the development of SMEs. The development of the state support of this segment becomes a priority, taking into account the difficult situation in the economy. It creates new SME support institutions [2]. According to the Strategy of development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Russian Federation for the period till 2030 year [3], in 2015 was established the State Institute for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the form of the Joint Stock Company “Federal Corporation for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises”.
At the same time the contribution of small and medium enterprises in general economic indicators in the Russian Federation are significantly lower than in most not only developed but also developing countries. Small and medium enterprises in the Russian Federation are primarily micro  enterprises (95.5 percent of the total number of subjects Small and Medium Enterprises). The number of medium-sized enterprises is relatively small [3].
Small and medium enterprises account for only 5-6 percent of the total assets and 6-7 percent of the total investment in the fixed assets in the whole country. Labour productivity in small and medium sized enterprises in the Russian Federation, according to the Ministry of Economic development of Russia is much lower than the level of developed countries (USA, Japan, European Union countries) in 2-3 times. In recent years, the dynamics of the development of small and medium-sized enterprises is negative. The share of small and medium-sized enterprises turnover in the economy as a whole, according to Federal State Statistics Service, progressively
decreases. The diminishment of all indicators of small and medium-sized enterprises  only in 2014 compared to 2013 was 1.8 percent from 34.2 percent in 2013 to 32.4 percent in 2014 [3].

Specific measures undertaken by the state policy in social and economic spheres did not fully ensure the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises. Such measures as cancellation of tax privileges for the business property of the payers of the special tax regimes, the introduction of the trade tax and a number of other measures did not bring the planned improvements.
One of the priority directions of the state policy in the small and medium-sized enterprises sector at the present stage is the application and development to a new level of the measures and support tools for the small and medium-sized enterprises, which will be implemented within the framework of the Joint Stock Company “Federal Corporation for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises” ‘s activities. In particular, the Corporation will be provided the decision of the following tasks: providing financial, infrastructural, legal, methodological and other support to small and medium-sized enterprises; attracting Russian and foreign funds
and international organizations in support of small and medium-sized enterprises; organization of system of information, marketing, financial and legal support of investment projects, implemented by small and medium-sized enterprises; organization of activities aimed to increase the share of procurement of goods, works and services of certain kinds of legal entities in small and medium-sized enterprises;
provision of in conjunction with specific customers, determined by the Government of the Russian Federation, and bodies of the state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation toward the measures to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises; maintenance of interaction with public authorities of the Russian Federation, local authorities, other bodies and organizations in order to support small and medium-sized enterprises; providing improved support for small and medium-entrepreneurship. At the same time the Corporation will perform as a system integrator of the support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises.