Russia has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Art. 4 of the Law about Consumer Protection introduces local content requirements for certain categories of technically complex goods sold with pre‑installed computer software. In particular, these goods must include software whose country of origin is the Russian Federation or another Member State of the Eurasian Economic Union. Where pre‑installed software is used to access information on websites, it must, by default and without the need for additional configuration, enable the use of a search engine originating in the Russian Federation or another Member State of the Eurasian Economic Union.
It is reported that the mandatory pre‑installation of Russian software encompasses search engines, the Yandex browser, mapping and navigation applications, antivirus software, software providing access to electronic government infrastructure, instant messaging and social networking services, and national payment systems. These requirements apply to consumer electronic products sold in Russia, including smartphones, computers, tablets and smart televisions. Furthermore, it is reported that in August 2023, the Russian Government approved an updated list of domestic software to be pre‑installed on smart televisions from 2024, introducing several video streaming services. In 2025, the list was further expanded, and an additional requirement was introduced mandating that smartphones and other smart devices sold in Russia be pre‑installed with Russia’s proprietary digital messaging platform, MAX.

Appendix No. 2 to the Decision of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission No. 30 of 21 April 2015 (“On Measures of Non-Tariff Regulation”) sets out the Union-wide list of goods restricted for export from the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), including Russia. The list includes, among others, (i) radio-electronic and high-frequency equipment for civilian use—devices for transmitting or receiving voice, images, or data (e.g., headings in HS 8471, 8517–8519, 8521, 8525–8528, 8531, and certain Chapter 90 items); (ii) systems and receivers for technical radio monitoring and for detecting sources of electromagnetic emissions (e.g., HS 8526–8527); and (iii) encryption (cryptographic) means, including computing machines and parts with cryptographic functions, computer devices incorporating encryption, and standalone cryptographic software (selected subheadings of HS 8471/8473 and 8523).

While there is a safe harbour for copyright infringement under Federal Law No. 187-FZ, "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Information and Telecommunication Networks", the country lacks a safe harbour for activities beyond copyright infringement. According to Art. 13.34 of Federal Law No. 18-FZ, "On Amendments to the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offences" (introduced in 2017), ISPs that fail to block banned sites as instructed by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) are liable to fines ranging from RUB 100,000 to RUB 500,000 (approx. USD 1,600 – USD 8,500). Officials of these legal entities (ISPs) face fines between RUB 5,000 and RUB 30,000 (approx. USD 85 – USD 500) for non-compliance with Roskomnadzor’s directives. If such violations are repeated within a year, penalties increase to RUB 30,000–RUB 50,000 (approx. USD 500 – USD 850) for officials and RUB 500,000–RUB 800,000 (approx. USD 8,500 – USD 13,500) for ISPs.

Law No. 97-FZ and the corresponding government decrees, Decree No. 758 and Decree No. 801, have established several requirements regarding the identification of Wi-Fi users in public places, such as parks, hotels, cafeterias, restaurants, clubs, cinemas and shopping malls, among others. The Act and the decrees require that
- ISPs must identify Internet users by means of identity documents (such as passports);
- ISPs must identify terminal equipment by determining the unique hardware identifier of the data network;
- All legal entities in Russia must provide ISPs on a monthly basis with the list of persons connecting to the Internet using their network.

Amendments introduced by Federal Law No. 241 prohibit the anonymous use of instant message (“IM”) services. Providers are obliged to identify users of the instant messaging service by the subscriber number of the mobile radiotelephone operator in the manner established by the Government of the Russian Federation, on the basis of an identification agreement concluded by the organiser of the instant messaging service with the mobile radiotelephone operator.

According to Art. 1253, intermediaries are not liable for third-party content unless they knew or ought to have known that infringing material was being used illegally on their service. It is reported that the article contains a “constructive knowledge” clause that may incentivise intermediaries to monitor their services in order to locate “illegal” material.

In December 2022, Russia signed a law requiring platforms to monitor content and remove “LGBT propaganda,” adding this term to the list of information that is illegal to distribute online. In April and October 2022, the platform TikTok was fined for refusing to remove “LGBT propaganda” and promoting “homosexual relations.”

The amendments introduced by Federal Law No. 276 prohibit internet intermediaries from providing access to websites and information resources that are designated as “resources with restricted access” by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor). The Law requires Roskomnadzor to create a national information database of online resources and services to which access is prohibited in Russia. Internet service providers (ISPs) will be required to identify those owners of resources who do not block access to prohibited online resources and report them to the Roskomnadzor within three days. Operators of online search engines are required to block links to websites included in the database of prohibited online resources. If the owner of the network or information resource continues to ignore the requirement to block access to restricted websites, its Internet connection can be terminated by the ISP within 24 hours.

Art. 9 of Federal Law No. 149‑FZ stipulates that restrictions on access to information may be imposed by federal legislation and by acts of the President of the Russian Federation for the purposes of safeguarding the foundations of the constitutional order, public morality and health, the rights and lawful interests of others, and of ensuring national defence and state security.
It is reported that there have been numerous instances of the blocking of commercial web content in Russia in recent years, many of which remain in effect. These measures have included both nationwide and region-specific restrictions on major online platforms and communication services, as outlined below:
- The Russian authorities initiated platform restrictions with the centralised throttling of X on 26 February 2022, subsequently escalating to directives requiring internet service providers to fully block Facebook, X, and Instagram on 4 March 2022. All three platforms remained inaccessible in Russia as of 2025.
- Signal was blocked nationwide in Russia beginning on 9 August 2024, with the restriction continuing into 2025.
- Discord was blocked across the Russian Federation from 8 October 2024, and the block remained in effect throughout 2025.
- Viber was blocked nationally from December 2024, with the restriction persisting into 2025.
- YouTube was blocked in nearly all regions of Russia from 15 December 2024. The block remained in place in 2025.
- Telegram was confirmed to have been blocked in the Republic of Dagestan by 7 March 2025, with additional reports indicating that the application had been blocked in Chechnya and Ingushetia since October 2024.
- On 13 August 2025, Russian authorities ordered nationwide restrictions on call functionalities within WhatsApp and Telegram.
- FaceTime and Snapchat were blocked in Russia beginning on 4 December 2025.

Under Art. 3.4 of Federal Law No. 272‑FZ, where the activities of a Russian media organisation are prohibited or restricted within the territory of a foreign state, the Russian Federation may adopt reciprocal measures by prohibiting or restricting the activities of a foreign media organisation registered in that state and disseminating its content within the Russian Federation, including via the Internet. Additionally, pursuant to Art. 56.2 of the Law on Mass Media, the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, or their deputies, is authorised to order the suspension of a media outlet’s activities where it is established that the outlet has disseminated specified categories of content. In this context, it was reported that on 25 June 2024 the Russian government prohibited the operation of 81 European media outlets in response to European Union sanctions imposed on three Russian media companies, with the measures affecting a broad range of entities, including newspapers, radio and television broadcasters, and online media outlets from the majority of EU Member States, a situation that continued to be reported in 2025.

According to Law No. 139-FZ, the Russian state is authorised to block drug-related content, extremist material, and other information deemed illegal within the country. Reports indicate that to implement the provisions of Law No. 139-FZ, the Russian government employs online filtering protocols, including the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) surveillance system.
In addition to the provisions of Law No. 139-FZ, telecommunication operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are permitted to block various types of network traffic, provided they adhere to relevant legislation and agreements with users or beneficiaries. Since 2012, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has maintained a Single Register of domain names, web page indices, and network addresses that identify websites containing prohibited information.

According to the amendments introduced by Law No. 241-FZ, ISPs are required, within 24 hours from the moment of receipt of the relevant request from the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), to restrict the ability of the user of the instant messaging service specified in this requirement to transfer electronic messages containing information, the dissemination of which is prohibited in the Russian Federation, as well as information disseminated in violation the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation. The ISPs that fail to meet this requirement can be blocked by the authorities.
According to the Art. 13.34 of the Administrative Offences Code (introduced in 2017), ISPs that do not block banned sites according to the information received from state regulator Roskomnadzor will be required to pay between 100,000-500,000 Rubles (approx. 1600 USD - 8500 USD) penalty. The officials of those legal entities (ISPs) will face fines of 5,000-30,000 Rubles (approx. 85 USD - 500 USD) for failing to implement Roskomnadzor’s instructions. If the actions are repeated during the year, the amount of penalties will be 30,000-50,000 Rubles (approx. 500 USD - 850 USD) for officials and 500,000-800,000 Rubles (approx. 8500 USD - 13500 USD) for ISPs.

The indicator "7.2.4 - Government Internet shut down in practice" of the V-Dem Dataset, which measures whether the government has the technical capacity to actively make internet service cease, thus interrupting domestic access to the internet or whether the government has decided to do so, has a score of 2 in Russia for the year 2025. This corresponds to "The government shut down domestic access to the Internet several times this year."

According to Art. 12 of Federal Law No. 128-FZ, companies need to acquire a license in order to be engaged in distributing encryption facilities, maintaining encryption facilities, providing encryption services, and developing and manufacturing encryption facilities protected by means of encryption.