The article examines Russia as a great power from the point of view of status inconsistencytheory. Applications of the theory to Russia have focused on the status accorded to Russiain diplomatic representation and membership of key international organizations, whichsuggests that Russia is a‘status overachiever’in that it has an international status that isgreater than its actual capabilities would warrant. However, this article focuses on Russianperceptions of the country's status internationally, especially as reflected in the actualexperience of membership in international organizations (OSCE, Council of Europe) andrelations with the EU in the context of the two Chechen wars. The article demonstratesthat, at least according to Russian assessments, Russia is accorded lower status in theseorganizations than the great power status which most Russians believe should be theirs.While concluding that status inconsistency is a useful tool for explaining Russian foreignpolicy behavior, the article notes that differing assessments of what Russia's level of statusrecognition is pose challenges for status inconsistency theory.©2014 The Regents of the University of California. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights