Equipment and devices containing encryption have to be registered with the Federal Security Service (FSS), and the manufacturer or the seller has to obtain FSS notification upon importation or exportation of such equipment.
Notification of the FSS recognises the fact that the products manufactured by the enterprise contain various elements of a cryptographic/encryption nature. Notification of the FSS is a prerequisite for the import into the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) or export from the territory of the EAEU of equipment containing encryption elements.
The registration of the FSS notification when importing or exporting goods is regulated in accordance with the Regulations on the import into the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union and export from the customs territory of the EAEU of encryption means (Annex No. 9 to the Decision of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission No. 30 dated April 21, 2015). Notification of the FSS is necessary for equipment and devices, both general civil, industrial, scientific and other purposes, including a large list of products containing cryptographic components, which includes many high-tech devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, laptops, wireless keyboards, wireless mice, servers, RFID tags (a device for the extraction of various cryptocurrencies (miners)) and many other devices. If a device has already been listed in the EAEU register, no notification is required.

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 under Art. 12 of Federal Law No. 128-FZ “On Licensing Specific Types of Activity”.

According to Art. 19 of Law No. 86-FZ (as amended by Law No. 264), several requirements for the functioning of foreign payment systems on the territory of the Russian Federation are established. According to these requirements, in order to provide services to Russian customers or to enter into contracts with local payment system operators, foreign payment systems have to be included in the Register of the Russian Central Bank. To be included in the Register, a foreign operator has to apply by submitting all the required documents in Russian through its subdivision in Russia. In addition, operators of foreign payment systems that do not have a subsidiary in the Russian Federation are able to work with Russian banks if they establish a branch office in Russia and register with the Central Bank.
Furthermore, amendments to the Federal Law on the National Payment System (NPS Law) significantly affect e-payments. According to Federal Law No. 319-FZ, “On Amendments to the Federal Law on the National Payment System and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”, international payment cards it is required to be processed locally. In addition, the NPS Law also requires security deposits by operators of such payment systems that do not qualify as nationally important payment systems. Representatives of international payment systems have reported criticism of the introduction of such security deposits. Additionally, NPS Law prohibits the cross-border transfer of money or funds from Russia to countries where Russian payment systems, including Russian electronic payment systems, are not recognised.

Customs regulation in the Russian Federation is carried out in accordance with domestic legislation and the international Treaty on the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union, ratified and implemented in the Russian Federation as of 2018.
According to Arts. 136 and 225 of Law No. 317-FZ on the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union, goods placed under the customs procedure for release for domestic consumption may benefit from an exemption or reduction of customs duties and taxes if their total customs value does not exceed EUR 200 (approx. USD 225).
Pursuant to Art. 47 of Federal Law No. 289-FZ on Customs Regulation in the Russian Federation and on amendment of certain legal acts of the RF for goods (excluding personal use items) imported into or exported from the Russian Federation if the total customs value does not exceed 200 EUR based on the official exchange rate set by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation at the time of customs declaration, the obligation to pay customs duties does not arise.

Stakeholders have observed that the Russian Government does not consistently publish all regulations, judicial decisions, and administrative rulings of general application concerning customs matters. Furthermore, customs enforcement reportedly varies by region and port of entry, with frequent and unpredictable regulatory changes exacerbating costs and causing delays at the border.

Russian authorities have reportedly continued to block online platforms in Russia and occupied Ukraine to control the narrative and disseminate disinformation through official channels. Platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram have been blocked, and authorities have also threatened censorship against others like YouTube and WhatsApp to enforce compliance with government directives. Facebook and Instagram have been inaccessible since October 2022, after Meta, their parent company, was designated an extremist organisation for permitting criticism of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, Meta was compelled to cancel the launch of WhatsApp Channels in Russia due to threats from the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor). Furthermore, authorities have intensified efforts to block circumvention tools, such as VPNs, and by November 2023, eight of the 15 most popular VPN service domains had been blocked.

Federal Law No. 482-FZ allows the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) to block a digital platform either partly or in full if this platform restricts the distribution of content from Russian state media outlets. It is reported that the law was adopted in response to complaints from Russian state-owned media that foreign internet portals such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube were censoring their accounts.

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.

Federal Law No. 277-FZ grants the Prosecutor General the authority to prohibit the operations of foreign media in Russia in response to 'hostile decisions against Russian media abroad.' The law also empowers authorities to revoke media licenses for disseminating unlawful, harmful, or unreliable socially significant information, as well as information that expresses explicit disrespect for society, the state, or the constitution, or that seeks to discredit the Russian armed forces in connection with anti-Russian sanctions.
Under the provisions of this law, a media license may be suspended for three months following an initial violation and for six months in the case of repeated violations. However, the license can be reinstated prematurely if the disseminated false information is removed, subject to a corresponding decision by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor).

The indicator "6.2.4 - 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 3 in Russia for the year 2023. This corresponds to "Rarely but there have been a few occasions throughout the year when the government shut down domestic access to Internet."

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.

It is reported that in December 2019, the State mandated the pre-installation of Russian software on certain consumer electronic products, such as smartphones, computers, tablets, and smart TVs, sold in Russia. By late December 2020, the Russian Government had finalised a list of 16 software categories requiring pre-installation, leaving technology companies with limited time to conduct necessary compatibility tests before the April 2021 implementation date. Additionally, in December 2020, the Russian Parliament introduced a requirement that pre-installed browsers must default to a Russian or other EAEU member state search engine, thereby reducing consumer choice.

In 2012, Russia revised regulations concerning licenses for distributing encryption products, extending licensing requirements to consumer electronic products that previously did not require such licenses. This change now necessitates an activity license for distributing encryption products, which indirectly adds burdens to their importation process. According to Decision No. 134 of the Eurasian Economic Commission (2012), licensing procedures are applied to the importation of certain digital goods to the Eurasian Economic Union, including Russia. These digital goods include (i) Civil radio-electronic equipment and/or high-frequency devices, including those that are built-in or form a part of other goods; (ii) Special hardware meant for secret information acquisition; (iii) Encryption devices.

It is reported that the Russian Government had established barriers to importing telecommunication equipment that incorporates encryption technology (encryption products) in accordance with Annex 9 of the Decision No. 30 of the Eurasian Economic Commission. Despite commitments under the WTO to permit the importation of "mass market" consumer electronics without needing an import license or other customs formalities apart from import duties, Russia now mandates, at a minimum, a one-time notification or, for products with strong encryption, permission from security services, in addition to an import license. These requirements significantly escalate import costs and frequently prevent imports altogether. Moreover, under Government Resolution No. 313 (April 16, 2013), as amended, Russia also mandates an activity license for distributing encryption products, including numerous commonplace consumer electronics, further restricting access to the Russian market for exporters.

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.