Digest |30 October – 6 November 2025

Business associations have submitted proposals to amend the privatization law, including changes to the limitation periods for challenging privatization deals. The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) has proposed introducing a 10-year limitation period for violations committed during privatization and applying the new rules to ongoing cases.

Over the past two years, prosecutors have filed lawsuits challenging privatization deals worth more than RUB 100 billion. The proposals are being gathered at the President’s request following the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). They were originally expected to be reviewed in September but were taken off the agenda, reportedly due to personnel changes at the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Supreme Court.

The Subcommittee on Customs and Tariff Regulation has discussed a Ministry of Finance proposal to raise duties from January 1, 2026, on spirits imported from “unfriendly” countries, including whisky, rum, liqueurs and infused spirits. One option is to increase the duty from €3 to €5 per liter.

Experts estimate that imported spirits account for around 25% of the Russian market. Duties on spirits were already adjusted twice last year. After duties on wine from “unfriendly” countries were raised in August 2024, Russian producers also increased their prices, following importers. Further increases in duties could push prices up again.

The relevant bill was published in late September.

Under a “take or pay” model, the carrier commits to transporting a specified volume of cargo, while the customer must pay for the transportation even if the cargo is not ultimately delivered. RZD has long raised concerns about declining freight volumes, partly due to shippers canceling bookings shortly before departure, when it is no longer possible to replace the cargo.

Business groups, however, have warned of potential risks associated with the new model, including the possibility of prioritizing certain cargoes when infrastructure capacity is limited.

Under the draft rules, if a platform identifies a potential tax violation, the marketplace operator would have five days to notify the FTS and post the relevant information in the partner’s account. The information would be submitted through the platform’s own information system or via the tax authority’s online services.

The measure is intended to prevent sellers from using schemes to avoid paying tax on income from sales made through online platforms. The FTS had previously proposed blocking product listings of sellers who violate tax rules.

The Government has been instructed to approve a roadmap for rare earth metal production by December. It must also support the development of logistics hubs on the borders with China and North Korea. By 2030, at least 10 industrial parks and technology parks are planned to open in the Russian Far East and the Arctic. The Government must also establish a regulatory sandbox for the use of new technologies in the Far East, including unmanned systems, digital platforms, AI and data management.

At the Eastern Economic Forum, the President said the Far East should become a leading region in digital development. Vladimir Putin also called for a regulatory sandbox allowing public-sector organizations in the education sector to make purchases through Russian online marketplaces. Wildberries announced plans for such a platform one day before the President’s speech.