Starting from March 1, 2026, Federal Law No. 168-FZ of June 24, 2025 (informally referred to as the “Law on the Protection of the Russian Language”) will come into force in Russia. The law requires the mandatory use of the Russian language in all consumer information materials, including signs, pointers, menus, online product cards, and similar materials.

Scope of Requirements:
The law applies to all organizations providing goods and services—including retail stores, cafes, the service sector, and construction companies (including labeling of residential complexes).
From March 1, 2026, foreign words and phrases (e.g., “open,” “sale,” “coffee”) used on physical or online signage must either be translated into Russian or accompanied by Russian text of the same size and formatting.

Exceptions:

The law does not require translation of officially registered trademarks and service marks (for example, brands such as “Adidas” or “Starbucks” may be used as is).

Translation is mandatory for disclaimers and other non-protected elements on signage. For example: “Кофе ‘Starbucks’”.

Historical plaques, premises of diplomatic missions, and international sports federations are not subject to the law.

Writings within premises not intended for public access may also remain unchanged.

Possible Issues:
Complexities may arise for companies that use their domain names as part of their trade names (e.g., Petshop.ru) or for companies whose English names carry double meanings, such as “Cool Zone” (both “cool place” and “cold zone”—for example, in a winter clothing store).

Liability:
As of publication, there is no special article in the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (KoAP RF) specifically addressing violations related to the requirement for replacing or duplicating inscriptions in Russian. It is expected that liability will be established either by amending KoAP or through broad interpretation of existing norms.
Most likely, law enforcement practice will follow the second approach:

Penalties under Article 14.3 of KoAP RF (“On Advertising”) for legal entities range from 100,000 to 500,000 rubles.

Penalties under Article 14.5 of KoAP RF are from 30,000 to 40,000 rubles.

Source: Federal Law No. 168-FZ of June 24, 2025