Publications

On August 24, 2026, Presidential Decree No. 604 of August 24, 2026 “On Measures to Ensure the Security of Critical Infrastructure Facilities of the Russian Federation” entered into force, introducing a new mechanism for temporary administration of the assets of companies that fail to adequately protect critical infrastructure. The mechanism supplements the separate regime established by Presidential Decree No. 302 of April 25, 2023 “On Temporary Administration of Certain Property”.

Decree No. 604 applies to a broad range of “critical” infrastructure, including industrial, energy and telecommunications facilities, transport and logistics infrastructure, public utilities and other facilities of particular importance for Russia’s security, economic stability and essential services. The list is not exhaustive and may include other types of infrastructure considered critical.

Temporary administration may be introduced if a company fails to take timely measures to protect its facilities, breaches applicable regulatory requirements, fails to ensure adequate protection against potential threats, including drone attacks, or does not promptly restore the functioning of damaged facilities.

The measure may affect any movable or immovable assets of a company located in Russia, as well as equity interests in Russian companies.

The measure is imposed by a Government decision at the initiative of the President of the Russian Federation. Administration is generally entrusted to the Federal Agency for State Property Management (Rosimushchestvo, an agency broadly comparable to a state property agency), unless another administrator is designated. The Decree does not prescribe a maximum duration: termination requires a further Government decision at the President’s initiative.

To reduce the risk of these measures, potentially affected companies should review compliance with industrial safety, fire protection, counter-terrorism and civil defense requirements and prepare or update facility protection and emergency recovery plans. Particular attention should be given to security systems, allocation of internal responsibilities, staff training and coordination with contractors and relevant authorities.

Companies should also assess the adequacy of their corporate organization and the management of individual facilities, and develop a strategy for engaging with authorities, supported by records of measures taken to ensure security and business continuity.



On October 15, 2026, Presidential Decree No. 738 of October 15, 2026 “On Amendments to the List of Movable and Immovable Property, Securities, Shares in the Charter (Contributed) Capitals of Russian Legal Entities and Property Rights Subject to Temporary Administration, Approved by Presidential Decree No. 302 of April 25, 2023” entered into force.

The Decree expands the list established by Presidential Decree No. 302 of April 25, 2023 “On Temporary Administration of Certain Property”. Shares and equity interests in Russian companies operating in the packaging (Kappa Rus, Menshen Packaging CIS and Eviosys Packaging Kuban), flooring (Tarkett, Tarkett Rus and Tarkett Sommer) and personal hygiene (Ontex RU) sectors have been placed under the temporary administration of Center Capital Management Company LLC. The affected holdings include interests held by foreign shareholders and interests in related Russian subsidiaries.

Temporary administration does not itself transfer ownership of the shares or equity interests, but restricts the owners’ ability to exercise management powers over them. The Decree illustrates the continued application of temporary administration to foreign investments across different sectors of the Russian economy.



On October 1, 2026, Federal Law No. 289-FZ of 31 July 2025 “On Certain Issues of Regulating the Platform Economy in the Russian Federation” entered into force, establishing new requirements for the activities of intermediary digital platforms, including marketplaces and service aggregators.

The rules apply to Russian and foreign platforms included in a special register maintained by the Ministry of Economic Development. Eligibility criteria vary for Russian and foreign operators.

The law regulates operators' dealings with sellers, service providers and pickup-point operators. It requires checks of partners and product information, advance notice of unilateral contract changes, seller consent to discounts financed by sellers, and a complaint procedure with a 15-day response deadline. Rightholders may request the removal of infringing information.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service and Rospotrebnadzor supervise compliance within their respective powers. Federal Law No. 295-FZ of August 4, 2026 “On Amendments to the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offences” provides fines of up to RUB 500,000 for legal entities for certain violations, including improper restrictions on access to accounts and breaches of complaints procedures.

Most provisions apply from October 1, 2026. Liability for certain breaches of product-card placement and verification requirements take effect on January 1, 2027; existing product cards are subject to a 180-day verification period.



Federal Law No. 296-FZ of August 4, 2026 “On Amendments to Part Four of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation” clarifies the rules for the legal protection of computer programs, inventions, utility models and industrial designs. The amendments will enter into force on January 1, 2027.

The definition of a computer program is broadened to include programs intended for devices other than computers that process information automatically according to algorithms.

The law also expressly clarifies the possibility of patent protection for technical solutions implemented through such devices and methods using them.

Accordingly, program code may be protected by copyright, while the technical solution implementing it may qualify for patent protection.

Existing patentability criteria and restrictions on patenting computer programs as such remain unchanged.



On September 1, 2026, the provisions of Federal Law No. 569-FZ of December 29, 2025 “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Information, Information Technologies and the Protection of Information” and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” entered into force, establishing new requirements for the registration and administration of domain names.

Simultaneously, Governmental Decree No. 1119 of August 31, 2026 “On Approval of the Rules for the Registration of Domain Names” entered into force, regulating the .RU, .РФ and .SU top-level domains.

The main innovation is mandatory identification of domain administrators through the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA, “Gosuslugi”), including individuals and Russian or foreign legal entities. Without identification, registration actions, including renewal, changes to registration data and transfer of administration rights, are generally unavailable.

Domain name registration may be carried out only by Russian legal entities included in a special list. A decision to register or to refuse registration is taken within three business days after receipt of the application.

Registrars accredited before September 1, 2026 may continue operating under their existing arrangements until inclusion in the new list, but no later than January 18, 2027. During this transition, some operations may still follow the previous identification rules.

Administrators are also subject to annual identification. Failure to complete it within an additional 30-day period may result in cancellation of domain registration.



On October 23, 2026, the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia once again decided to maintain the key interest rate at 14.00% per annum, extending the pause in its monetary easing cycle. The decision was driven by persistently elevated price pressures, with underlying price growth accelerating to an annualized rate of 5–6%.

The regulator will make further decisions taking into account inflation dynamics, inflation expectations, and an assessment of domestic and external risks. The next meeting is scheduled for December 18, 2026.



The Government of the Russian Federation adopted resolutions on support measures for sellers affected by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks on facilities of the “RVB” group (Wildberries) and “Internet Solutions” (Ozon). For affected entrepreneurs, the deadlines for payment of a number of taxes (VAT, corporate income tax, simplified taxation system, professional income tax, personal income tax) and insurance contributions payable from August 2026 to July 2027 are extended by 12 months. Also, on-site tax audits are suspended until the end of 2026.

At the same time, at least one of the following conditions must be met: the company was registered after December 2025, or the amount of damage exceeds 5% of annual income. The calculation may take into account the aggregate damage from attacks on facilities of the “RVB” and “Internet Solutions” groups.



In the first half of 2026, the Federal Tax Service conducted 60 on-site audits of the largest taxpayers, twice as many as a year earlier. Based on their results, companies were assessed additional taxes, penalties and fines in the amount of RUB 16.3 billion, which is almost three times higher than the figure for the previous year (RUB 5.8 billion).

The growth in additional assessments is explained by the development of automated systems for detecting violations. At the same time, the chances of businesses winning disputes are low: in the Moscow Region in 2025, about 78% of disputes were resolved in favor of the inspections, and in the first five months of 2026, already 85%.



From October 1, 2026, the Federal Tax Service began transmitting to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia data on the income of foreign citizens accrued to them in the form of payments and remuneration, on the basis of insurance contribution calculations. Information on the income of foreigners applying the “Professional Income Tax” regime will also be transmitted.

This information will be used to strengthen migration and tax control, as well as to identify cases of evasion of taxes and other mandatory payments.