Please be advised that Federal Law No. 168-FZ of 24 June 2025 “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”, commonly referred to as the “Law on the Protection of the Russian Language”, came into effect on 1 March 2026.
Please kindly note that the law’s requirements apply to information intended for public consumption by consumers, provided that such information is not advertising and does not fall under the category of mandatory disclosures required by consumer protection rules (Articles 8, 9, 10 of the Law on Consumer Rights Protection).
Consumer is a citizen who intends to order or purchase or who orders, purchases or uses goods (works, services) exclusively for personal, family, household, or other purposes not related to the implementation of entrepreneurial activities.
Restrictions on the use of foreign languages in advertising and mandatory consumer information have long been in place under other legal frameworks (legislation on advertising, other norms of legislation on consumer protection, legislation on the state language).
The main amendments, which entered into force on 1 March 2026, were introduced into the Law of 7 February 1992 No. 2300-1 “On Consumer Rights Protection” (hereinafter referred to as the “CRP Law”).
Art. 10.1. “Information intended for public inspection of consumers” was added to the CRP Law. Rospotrebnadzor is the authority responsible for monitoring compliance.
The new rules govern non‑advertising, non‑mandatory information displayed on any materials or structures intended to convey information to consumers in publicly accessible locations (e.g., signage, informational materials, displays, etc.) in the context of trade, consumer services, and related activities.
It is important to note that according to the position of Rospotrebnadzor, the website on the Internet is also considered as a publicly accessible place for the purpose of complying with new requirements regarding information posted for consumers.
Requirements:
- Information must not be provided exclusively in a foreign language
- Information must be provided in Russian language*
*Our interpretation: where Russian equivalents exist, using Cyrillic transliteration (e.g., “Сейл” instead of “Sale”) does not satisfy the requirement — except for housing complex names.
- Information may also be provided in the official languages of Russia’s republics and/or other languages of Russia’s ethnic groups (where permitted by regional legislation)*
*This is subject to the following conditions: content must be identical across all language versions and placement and technical design must be equivalent (same colour, typeface, and font size).
- Foreign‑language versions may be included at the provider’s discretion*
*Our interpretation: the Russian text must serve as the primary version, while foreign‑language text is supplementary. Note that there is no official explanation on this issue yet.
*This is subject to the following conditions: content must be identical across all language versions and placement and technical design must be equivalent (same colour, typeface, and font size).
For example, starting from 1 March 2026 a store may not place a poster with the inscription Sale on the store window, and a restaurant may not offer a menu with the inscription Menu to the visitor. It is allowed to use either only the words “Распродажа” and “Mеню”, or use a double version with Russian as the primary language (meeting all applicable formatting requirements): “Распродажа / Sale” and “Меню / Menu”.
Due to the direct indication of the law, the new requirements do not apply to firm names, trademarks*, service marks* — these may still be displayed exclusively in the foreign language in which they are registered. No exception was made for commercial designations.
*For businesses using trademarks and service marks owned by other persons, it is advisable to have documents confirming the grounds for use.
Direct responsibility for non-compliance with the new requirement has not yet been established. There are also no clarifications on this issue.
However, some experts suggest possible liability under:
- 1 of Article 14.5 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (failure to provide mandatory information) with a warning or a fine of RUB 3,000–4,000 for officials, a fine of RUB 30,000–40,000 for legal entities; or
- 1 of Article 14.8 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (violation of a consumer's right to receive necessary and reliable information about a product (work, service) being sold, a manufacturer, a seller, a contractor or their working hours) with a warning or a fine of RUB 500–1,000 for officials, a fine of RUB 5,000–10,000 for legal entities.
Due to changes in legislation, we recommend that businesses conduct an audit of the advertising and information materials used, and, if necessary, develop a strategy to ensure compliance.
Marillion specialists are ready to assist with this process.
