Mandatory use of the Russian language in Public Information effective March 1, 2026
Effective March 1, 2026, amendments to the legislation mandating the use of the Russian language in all public information intended for consumers will come into force (Federal Law No. 168-FZ dated June 24, 2025). The changes will affect most business sectors, including, but not limited to, retail and e-commerce, public catering, the service sector, healthcare, banking, car dealerships, developers, and others.
The primary objective of the amendments is to ensure unimpeded access to information without the need for dictionaries or interpreter services, as well as the protection of the Russian language in general.
According to the new regulations, all information placed in public areas must be presented in the Russian language. This includes signs, directional signs, information plaques, descriptions of goods and services, as well as materials on websites and in mobile applications. This requirement applies to any information that is not advertising in the direct sense of the word (advertising matters are governed by the Federal Law "On Advertising").
An exception is made for officially registered trademarks, service marks, and corporate names (company names). These elements may be retained in a foreign language without translation.
However, it is important to understand that the right to use a trademark in a foreign language is held exclusively by its owner or official rights holders. A corporate name in a foreign language may be used solely by the organization that owns it.
In all other cases, foreign words and phrases may only be used as an additional, supplementary option to the primary Russian-language text. In such instances, the content, design, and placement of the texts in both languages must be completely identical (they must be identical in content, equivalent in placement and technical design, have the same parameters – colour, font type and size, and be executed legibly).
Specific requirements have been established for developer companies: in advertising for residential complexes, only Cyrillic characters are permitted as of March 1, 2026.
Organizations wishing to retain foreign names in their public information may consider registering a trademark or corporate name. It should be noted that the trademark registration process typically takes about one year.
Regarding company names, registering a name in a foreign language with the Unified State Register of Legal Entities will take five business days, but will require amendments to the company's charter and a corresponding meeting of participants for this purpose.
Compliance with the new requirements will be monitored by Rospotrebnadzor (Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being), the Federal Antimonopoly Service, Roskomnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media), and local self-government bodies, each within its scope of authority. Violation of the established rules may entail significant fines (for example, up to RUR 500,000 under Article 14.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation for violation of advertising legislation).
