The article deals with the analysis of the problems in protection of rights of national minorities both in international and domestic dimension. Individual and collective rights are being examined from the standpoint of the human rights' theory. In addition, practical aspects of application of norms of international and domestic law to the regulation of rights of national minorities are the subject of study in the article. The conclusion is drawn that for the purposes of keeping the ethnic and cultural diversity and the development of state national minorities' policy it is not appropriate to carve the concept of minority out from the complex nature of the human rights' dimension. What is required is a the synthesis of individual and collective approaches to effective protection of the rights of minorities.