Key trends in the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Russian regions

The article examines the main factors in the development of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the Russian Federation, which determine the key trends in doing business in recent years. An assessment is given of the development of SMEs within the regions of Russia from the standpoint of determining the relationship between regional business conditions and the development of SMEs based on the analysis of statistical data. The work determines how regional policy instruments and digitalization affect the effectiveness of the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, analyzes the dynamics of the main indicators of the development of the SME sphere in the regions of Russia, identifies the main state and regional problems of SME development and formulates specific recommendations for further development directions.