The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of resilience of large highly urbanised Russian regions to recessionary shocks caused by the pandemic. We calculated the index of resilience by using the Mahalanobis distances method. Depending on the changes in the level of regional economic resilience at different stages of the pandemic, we identified six scenarios. We drew up profiles of regional resilience and grouped the regions accordingly. We found that all the regions demonstrated a higher level of resilience during the first wave. The most significant factors that affected the regions’ resilience capacity were the following: the sectoral composition of their economies, population distribution patterns, the share of small businesses, ‘systemically important’ industrial enterprises, innovative propensity as well as the severity of lockdown restrictions and state support. © 2023 Inderscience Publishers. All rights reserved.