Law & Legislation

Government sponsors tax breaks for Far Eastern investors

The government has sponsored amendments to the Tax Code, thus granting tax privileges to investors involved in projects in the Russian Far East, the Trans-Baikal Territory and Buryatia.

14:37 01.04.2013

Canada may pull out of UN climate change convention

Canada may exit the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Liberal MP David McGuinty was quoted as saying by the Responding to Climate Change website on Friday.

15:37 29.03.2013

UN fails once again to produce an arms-trade treaty

Widespread optimism that the UN Final Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty would culminate in the adoption of a binding legal text regulating the international arms market was abruptly derailed Thursday at the hands of Iran, Syria, and North Korea, who asserted concerns that the draft document did little to ensure the protection of their national interests.

14:13 29.03.2013

The fate of Berezovsky’s estate

Self-exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky left behind a tangled web of legal and financial disputes and obligations when he suddenly passed at his Surrey home last weekend. RAPSI spoke with several experts in UK estate and probate law to seek clarity on the post-mortem implications of the various facets of Berezovsky’s personal crisis under English and – surprisingly, perhaps – Russian law in the aftermath of his death.

17:57 28.03.2013

Bill banning registration of extremist religious organizations sent to Duma

The government has sent a bill to the State Duma banning the registration of religious organizations of extremists. According to the government's press service, the bill stipulates that registrars responsible for religious organizations have the right to refuse to register organizations whose founders or members are involved in extremist activities.

14:36 28.03.2013

Government proposes increasing duty on divorce for financing alimony fund

The government has forwarded proposals to the president's executive office on financing the alimony fund, including by raising the state duty on divorce and impounding debtors' property to ensure the payment of alimony.

13:41 28.03.2013

Putin moves to ban gay foreign couples from adopting Russian orphans

President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government and the Supreme Court to prepare amendments to the current adoption procedure to prohibit same-sex foreign couples from adopting Russian orphans.

12:42 28.03.2013

Parliament legalizes freelancing

The Federation Council has approved a law on Wednesday obliging employers to sign labor contracts with freelancers. The relevant amendments will be made to the Labor Code and the law on electronic signature.

17:07 27.03.2013

St. Petersburg to withhold government contracts from illegal immigrants employers

St Petersburg lawmakers have proposed banning employers who hire illegal immigrants from competing for state contracts.

14:07 27.03.2013

Tax on luxury cars approved by government's commission

The Russian government's legislative commission has approved amendments to the Tax Code introducing an additional 'luxury' tax on cars worth more than 5 million rubles ($162,000).

12:16 27.03.2013

Top news

Russian courts allowed not to implement rulings of Europe's human rights court

Russia's Supreme Court proposed not to implement rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the provisions of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR).

12:53 09.12.2025

Redomiciliation stalls: How sanctions are shaping new practices for Russian companies

The mechanism for redomiciliating foreign companies to Russian jurisdiction, in effect since 2018, has recently encountered serious obstacles. Taking into account the background of sanctions-related restrictions introduced in 2022 through 2025, it has become extremely difficult to achieve the goal. The situation gave rise to the phenomenon of dual domicile and led to a rise in the number of new litigations, both in Russia and abroad.

12:32 09.12.2025

Soldiers jailed for killing US journalist Russell Bentley

A military court in Donetsk sentenced three soldiers to up to 12 years in prison for torturing and killing Russell Bentley, a 63-year-old U.S. national who collaborated with Sputnik news agency.

14:05 08.12.2025