Law & Legislation

Lawmakers propose three-year prison sentence for recurrent drunk driving

State Duma lawmakers have proposed depriving drunk drivers of their licenses for three years and sentencing them to five years in prison for recurrent drunk driving.

17:01 08.10.2012

Clergyman draft dodger regulations approved

The government has endorsed a set of regulations aimed at allowing clergymen to dodge Russia's obligatory military draft. The regulations were posted online on Friday.

12:51 08.10.2012

Medvedev supports criminal liability for recurrent drunk driving

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has supported the adoption of criminal liability for recurrent drunk driving for individuals who were earlier deprived of their driver's license for the same offense.

16:45 05.10.2012

Government submits amendments on judgment review in light of graver crimes

The government has submitted to the State Duma a set of proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that would allow a case to be reopened or an earlier judgment to be reconsidered if new facts about a more serious crime committed by the convict are uncovered, a source in the State Duma told RIA Novosti.

13:10 05.10.2012

Russia's Social Patronage law: admirable ends, questionable means

Russia's State Duma, lower house of parliament, is currently considering a set of amendments that would allow the state to take it upon itself to ensure the welfare of children from families found to be in “socially precarious” positions.

11:02 05.10.2012

Putin signs law on creating unified notary database in Russia

President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on creating a unified notarial base in Russia, the Kremlin's website reported on Wednesday.

14:18 03.10.2012

USAID stops operating in Russia

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a major foreign sponsor of Russian non-profit organizations, will no longer operate in Russia from Monday onwards. Human rights activists see this as an alarm bell and stress that many non-profit organizations will suffer from this.

11:29 01.10.2012

Deputies amend laws to define currency violations in greater detail

At its meeting on Friday, the State Duma adopted in the second reading a bill describing currency violations in greater detail.

18:17 28.09.2012

Duma sets up media committee

The State Duma has voted to establish a new information policy, IT and communications committee. The decision was supported by all the 436 deputies who took part in the voting.

17:29 28.09.2012

State Duma adopts law on requirements for organizing gambling

During its plenary meeting on Friday, the State Duma adopted in the third reading a government-proposed law specifying requirements for organizing and holding gambling activities.

16:31 28.09.2012

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