In the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union, cadre problems in Russian science gradually came to be included among the problems that are the most pressing and whose solutions need to be given top priority. The mass exodus of young and middle-aged qualified specialists from scientific research institutes, design bureaus, and scientific subunits of institutions of higher learning, a process that began in connection with the crisis, posed the real threat of the loss of continuity between the generations of Russian scientists, the destruction of schools of science, and declining effectiveness of science work. This led to the weakening of Russia's entire innovation system. Owing to the conservative nature of the scientific system, cadre problems developed gradually, but over time they became more complex and varied. On the state level, the problem of cadres was accorded differing degrees of priority; this was due not so much to the actual state of the cadres per se but rather to the internal logic of the development of measures of state regulation in the sphere of science. This article discusses the evolution of the state's cadre policy in the sphere of science and describes three periods that differ in terms of the cadre potential in science and the level of government attention paid to cadre problems. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables and 14 notes.)