Between 2024 and 2025, the Russian government successively passed multiple bills (primarily involving Federal Laws No. 52-FZ and No. 168-FZ), making significant amendments to the "Russian Federation State Language Law" and the "Advertising Law." Starting March 1, 2026, comprehensive restrictions on the use of foreign languages in commerce will be implemented throughout Russia, marking a disruptive transformation in how businesses conduct marketing and operations in the country.

   Core Legal Provisions: From "Optional" to "Mandatory"   

The core logic of the new law is: Russian must dominate in all consumer-facing touchpoints.

• Comprehensive Coverage of Touchpoints:

• Offline Environment: Store signage, in-store navigation, price tags, menus, outdoor advertising boards

• Online Environment: Company website interfaces, mobile applications (APPs), social media accounts, product detail pages on e-commerce platforms (such as Ozon, Wildberries)

• Product Level: Packaging design, instruction manuals, product labels

• "Translation Equivalence" Principle: If foreign words must be used (e.g., to maintain design aesthetics), Russian translations must be provided simultaneously. The requirements are extremely high: Russian translations must be completely identical to foreign language text in terms of font size, color, and visual prominence (i.e., translations cannot be labeled in small fonts).

• Ban on "Transliterations of Foreign Words": The ban targets not only Latin alphabet words (such as Sale, Beauty) but also transliterations spelled in Cyrillic (such as Бьюти, Кэжуал, Диджитал). As long as the word has a corresponding standard Russian term in the official dictionary of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN), it must be replaced.

   Legal Exemptions: "Safe Harbors" for Brands   

The law preserves two important exemption paths for businesses:

• Registered Trademarks: If foreign words are part of a protected registered trademark, no translation is required. For example, if the registered brand name is "Cool Zone," it does not need to be changed to Russian, but descriptive text beyond the brand name must use Russian.

• No Russian Equivalent: Limited to professional terms explicitly marked as "no Russian equivalent yet" in official dictionaries.

   Violation Costs and Penalty Mechanisms   

• Although the final administrative penalty regulations (KoAP) specifically targeting this item are still being refined, current enforcement logic will link to existing strict regulations:

• Advertising Violation Penalties: According to Article 14.3 of the Advertising Law, legal entities face fines of 100,000 to 500,000 rubles for violations.

• Consumer Rights Infringement: According to Article 14.8 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law, if deemed to have failed to provide clear product information, fines are approximately 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.

• Administrative Risks: Beyond fines, regulatory authorities (such as the Federal Antimonopoly Service FAS) have the right to require businesses to forcibly remove non-compliant signage or take down non-compliant products, resulting in significant secondary costs.

    Corporate Compliance Recommendations: The "Checklist" to Complete in 2025   

To avoid business disruption in March 2026, businesses are advised to follow these steps:

Conduct a Language Audit:

• Review all external documents, websites, packaging, and signage to create a "foreign words inventory"

• Categorize the inventory into "brand trademark category" and "general description category"

Accelerate Trademark Registration:

• If your brand name or core slogan contains foreign languages and is not yet registered as a trademark in Russia, initiate registration immediately. Trademarks are currently the only legal means to retain Latin alphabet usage. (Registration cycle takes approximately 7-9 months)

Revise Contract Terms:

• When signing contracts with design companies, operation agencies, or advertising companies, must include "language compliance clauses" clearly stipulating that if fines result from the service provider's use of unauthorized foreign words, liability shall be borne by the service provider

Establish Internal Review Processes:

• Establish a "three-review system": Content Creator -> Russian Editor (checking against dictionary) -> Legal Review

• Recommended to refer to the "Standard Dictionaries (Нормативные словари)" officially released by Russia to avoid using "colloquial transliterations"

Reserve Budget for Material Updates:

• Given the potential society-wide concentrated replacement of signage and packaging in 2026, businesses should proactively update packaging molds and outdoor media materials in batches during fiscal year 2025 to spread out costs

   Conclusion   

       This legal revision is not merely a linguistic purification but also reflects the Russian business environment's shift toward "cultural sovereignty." For Chinese-funded enterprises in Russia, elevating "language compliance" to strategic importance as early as possible and making good use of the legal weapon of "trademark exemption" are key to achieving a smooth transition in 2026.