Digest |6 November – 13 November 2025

The Ministry of Finance has submitted a proposal to the Government to introduce a technology fee. Both importers and domestic manufacturers would have to pay it, although domestic producers would be eligible for government support. The fee would be introduced in two stages: first for finished products such as laptops and smartphones, and later for electronic components. The rate would depend on the value of the product but would not exceed RUB 5,000.

The introduction of an industrial fee for critical industries was announced by Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov in July. The funds raised are expected to support Russia’s electronics and radio-electronics industries. The new measure could come into effect on September 1, 2026. Manufacturers are likely to factor the additional cost into product prices.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin said that the move toward a platform-based economy is the next stage in the development of the economy and society. He also highlighted the need to address rising commission fees for marketplace sellers. Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov said that the plans include integrating marketplaces with major government information systems, including Rospatent, the product labeling system and the Federal Accreditation Service. Another priority will be tackling unfair practices related to product returns at pickup points.

The tax authorities and digital platforms already exchange information, and in late October the Ministry of Finance drafted rules for transferring data to the Federal Tax Service (FTS). The marketplaces are also preparing for the new requirements. Wildberries, Ozon and Avito have signed a memorandum on fair business practices, but participation is voluntary, and not all market players have agreed to join, including Yandex and Sber.

The proposal has been supported by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who oversees social policy, as well as the Ministry of Health and the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare (Roszdravnadzor). The rule currently applies to 110 types of medical devices, and the list continues to expand. Government Resolution No. 1875 of December 23, 2024, also extended the rule to public procurement of medicines included in the Lists of Vital and Essential Drugs and Strategic Medicines.

Under the “second extra” rule, if at least one bid in a tender includes a product manufactured in the EAEU, bids offering imported products are rejected. Restricting foreign manufacturers’ access to public procurement reduces competition and may lead to higher prices.

The Ministry is preparing a bill that would introduce turnover-based fines for companies that fail to switch their significant CII facilities to Russian software on time.

These facilities are required to switch to Russian software from January 1, 2028. Where there are objective grounds, the deadline may be extended until December 1, 2030. According to the Association of Software Developers “Domestic Software,” by the end of 2025, around 40–45% of CII entities had switched to Russian software. At the same time, highly specialized software has yet to be fully replaced, while Russian solutions can sometimes be more expensive than their foreign counterparts.

The Government Commission on Legislative Activity has approved amendments to the law “On the Judicial System of the Russian Federation” under which Russia would not enforce decisions of international courts, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and various tribunals, if their jurisdiction is not based on a treaty with Russia or a UN Security Council resolution.

Russia withdrew from the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2016. In recent years, Russia’s “countersanctions” legislation has been taken into account in disputes over the recognition of foreign court rulings. The new initiative would introduce a general ban on enforcing such decisions. This could affect the investment climate and reduce the number of legal avenues available to challenge such rulings.