The research focuses on the process of party-building among civic associations and organizations of Russian nationalists, which intensified in late 2011. The research examines the current political orientations and perspectives of political activity carried out by representatives of the three main ideological trends in this political sector: statist patriots, national democrats and radical ethno-nationalists. Perspectives depend mainly on arbitrary decisions made about registration. These decisions are linked to the measures of opposition taken by some organizations, but for the moment there is no reason to believe that this is a rigid relation. The first current has already successfully registered a number of parties, some of which may, with support from the top, have real chances at regional and federal elections. The second trend has for now achieved only very limited success when it comes to registration and it remains unclear whether it will be able to really participate in elections in the near future. The third trend is definitely sidelined from such a possibility and, as a consequence, turns toward extra-parliamentary forms of activity. In that sense, all three currents are for now unable to rely upon the most massive form of nationalist self-organization – radical nationalist youth groups.