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    AI by country · Central and Eastern Europe

    AI in Russia: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 29 October 2026

    What should a company in Russia know before starting with AI?

    Russia regulates AI through Federal Law No. 152-FZ on personal data, the National AI Development Strategy to 2030 (amended in 2024), and Federal Law No. 243-FZ of 26 July 2026 on supporting the development of AI technologies, in force since 1 September 2026. Under 152-FZ, personal data of Russian citizens must first be recorded in databases in Russia. A company should map its data flows, check automated decisions about people, and follow the government acts that 243-FZ calls for.

    At a glance

    Russia at a glance

    Key facts about Russia
    Data protection lawFederal Law No. 152-FZ of 27 July 2006 On Personal Data, in force, last amended 26 July 2026
    RegulatorRoskomnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media)
    AI policyNational AI Development Strategy to 2030 (Decree No. 490 of 2019, amended by Decree No. 124 of 2024) and Federal Law No. 243-FZ of 2026
    Time zoneMoscow time, UTC+3 all year (India is 2.5 hours ahead); Russia spans 11 time zones
    CurrencyRUB (Russian rouble)
    Business languageRussian

    Why now

    Why Russia is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • Federal Law No. 243-FZ on supporting the development of AI technologies was signed on 26 July 2026. It applies from 1 September 2026, with several articles from 1 March 2027.[5]

    • The law covers large foundation models, defined as models with at least 1 billion parameters used for many different tasks.[5]

    • Decree No. 124 of 15 February 2024 updated the National AI Development Strategy to 2030 and told federal bodies to follow it in their sector plans and state programmes.[4]

    • The amended strategy states that by the fourth quarter of 2023 more than 30% of organisations in various sectors used AI for applied tasks, and more than 1,000 organisations were developing AI solutions.[4]

    • Decree No. 116 of 26 February 2026 set up a Presidential Commission on the development of AI technologies.[6]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Federal Law No. 152-FZ On Personal Data: localisation (Article 18, part 5)

    In force2006When personal data of Russian citizens is collected, including online, recording, organising, storing, updating and retrieving it using databases outside Russia is not allowed, except in a few cases listed in the law. In practice the data must first be recorded in databases in Russia. The current wording comes from Federal Law No. 23-FZ of 28 February 2025.[1]

    Federal Law No. 152-FZ: automated decisions and cross-border transfer (Articles 16 and 12)

    In force2006A decision with legal effects based solely on automated processing needs the person's written consent or a federal law allowing it. The operator must explain the process, accept objections and answer them within 30 days. Before transferring personal data abroad, the operator must notify Roskomnadzor, separately from its general processing notice.[1]

    Federal Law No. 243-FZ On supporting the development of AI technologies in the Russian Federation

    Phased2026The Government will set cases where only 'sovereign' or 'national' foundation models may be used, in finance with the Central Bank. Such models must answer queries and store data in data centres in Russia owned by Russian legal entities. From 1 March 2027, providers must tell users who owns rights in AI outputs, and users creating audio or visual material must be able to add an AI notice.[5]

    National AI Development Strategy to 2030 (Decree No. 490, amended by Decree No. 124)

    In force2024It is a policy document, not a set of duties for private firms. It sets the national direction, and federal bodies must follow it in their own strategy and programme documents.[4]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Banking and finance

    Document processing, fraud checks and customer service in Russian, with staff reviewing any refusal.

    Under 243-FZ, cases requiring sovereign or national models in banking are set by the Government in agreement with the Central Bank. Article 16 of 152-FZ applies to automated credit decisions.[5]

    Health care

    Voice-to-text filling of medical records, with clinicians checking the result.

    The amended strategy reports that voice filling of medical documents saves up to 35% of a doctor's working time on average.[4]

    Public administration

    Drafting replies and summarising case files in Russian.

    Under 243-FZ, the Government may grant access to data sets in federal information systems to train sovereign or national models, with security service approval.[5]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. Map every system that collects personal data of Russian citizens and confirm that it is first recorded in databases in Russia.
    2. Notify Roskomnadzor before any cross-border transfer of personal data, including to a foreign AI service.
    3. List each decision your AI makes about people and get written consent or a legal basis for any solely automated decision, with an objection process that answers within 30 days.
    4. Check whether your sector may fall under Government rules requiring sovereign or national foundation models under 243-FZ.
    5. Prepare to tell users who owns rights in AI outputs, as 243-FZ requires from 1 March 2027.
    6. Track the Government and Central Bank acts that 243-FZ calls for.

    AI services for Russia

    AI consulting and development for teams in Russia

    We work remotely with companies in Russia, in your time zone, and keep your data under the rules described above.

    AI agents and automation

    Agents that finish multi-step work across your tools, with people approving what matters.
    Learn more

    Document Q&A (RAG)

    Answers from your own documents, with the source shown for every answer.
    Learn more

    AI governance and data protection

    Policies, review steps and audit trails that fit your local data law.
    Learn more

    Software and cloud engineering

    Web apps, integrations and cloud platforms built around your AI use case.
    Learn more

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    Any engagement with a client in Russia is subject to sanctions and export-control checks before any work starts. We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. Moscow is on UTC+3 all year and India on UTC+5:30, so a 9:00 to 17:00 Moscow day overlaps with Indian hours of 9:30 to 18:30 from 09:00 to 16:00 Moscow time, about 7 hours; other Russian time zones differ.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Russia

    Does Russia have an AI law?

    Yes. Federal Law No. 243-FZ of 26 July 2026 applies from 1 September 2026, with several articles from 1 March 2027. It focuses on large foundation models, state support and sovereign or national models.

    Can personal data of Russian users be processed abroad?

    It must first be recorded in databases in Russia. Article 18, part 5 of 152-FZ does not allow recording, storing and similar operations using databases abroad, except in listed cases. Any later transfer abroad needs prior notice to Roskomnadzor.

    Can an Indian company provide AI services to a Russian business?

    It depends on checks done before any work. Some jurisdictions restrict services to entities in Russia; for example, EU Regulation 833/2014, as amended by Regulation 2023/2878, bars supplying certain enterprise management and industrial design software to legal persons established in Russia. Software, cloud and payment providers may also carry their own restrictions, so sanctions and export-control checks come first.

    Who enforces data protection?

    Roskomnadzor is the authorised body for protecting the rights of personal data subjects under its government regulation. It receives notices about processing and about cross-border transfers.

    Complimentary tools

    Try these first

    Three complimentary tools from our AI Toolkit that suit a team starting out.

    AI readiness score

    Answer a few questions and see where your team stands, in about five minutes.
    Open the tool

    AI use case triage

    Test an idea against data, risk and effort before you spend on it.
    Open the tool

    AI project cost estimator

    Get a rough build and run cost range for a first AI project.
    Open the tool

    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 29 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] ConsultantPlus (legal database), 2026-07-26. Federal Law No. 152-FZ of 27 July 2006 On Personal Data (as amended to…(consultant.ru)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Federal Law No. 152-FZ of 27 July 2006 On Personal Data (as amended to 26 July 2026). Text of the law from a legal database, because the official portal could not be reached. Used for Articles 12, 16 and 18 part 5 (as amended by Federal Law No. 23-FZ of 28 February 2025). English renderings are our own.

    2. [2] Legalacts.ru (copy of the regulation), 2026-10-29. Government Regulation No. 228 of 16 March 2009 on Roskomnadzor(legalacts.ru)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Government Regulation No. 228 of 16 March 2009 on Roskomnadzor. Copy of the regulation, accessed on this date. Used for Roskomnadzor's role as the authorised body for personal data.

    3. [3] President of Russia (kremlin.ru), 2019-10-10. Decree No. 490 of 10 October 2019 On the development of artificial inte…(kremlin.ru)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Decree No. 490 of 10 October 2019 On the development of artificial intelligence in the Russian Federation. Primary. Used for the original decree approving the National AI Development Strategy to 2030.

    4. [4] President of Russia (kremlin.ru), 2024-02-15. Decree No. 124 of 15 February 2024 amending Decree No. 490 and the Nati…(kremlin.ru)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Decree No. 124 of 15 February 2024 amending Decree No. 490 and the National Strategy. Primary. Used for the amendments, the data economy project, the 30% adoption and 1,000 developer figures, and the medical documentation example.

    5. [5] President of Russia (kremlin.ru), 2026-07-26. Federal Law No. 243-FZ of 26 July 2026 On supporting the development of…(kremlin.ru)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Federal Law No. 243-FZ of 26 July 2026 On supporting the development of artificial intelligence technologies in the Russian Federation. Primary text. Used for Articles 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 13. Adopted by the State Duma on 8 July 2026 and approved by the Federation Council on 17 July 2026.

    6. [6] President of Russia (kremlin.ru), 2026-02-26. Decree No. 116 of 26 February 2026 On the Presidential Commission on th…(kremlin.ru)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Decree No. 116 of 26 February 2026 On the Presidential Commission on the development of artificial intelligence technologies. Primary listing in the kremlin.ru document bank. Used only for the decree's title and date.

    7. [7] Official Journal of the European Union, 2023-12-18. Council Regulation (EU) 2023/2878 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014(publications.europa.eu)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Council Regulation (EU) 2023/2878 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014. Primary text. Used for the new Article 5n(2b) restriction on enterprise management and industrial design software. Cited as an example of the rules checked before any engagement.

    This is general information, not legal advice. Several parts of 243-FZ depend on Government and Central Bank acts not yet issued when we checked, and sanctions rules in other jurisdictions change often. Check with a qualified Russian lawyer and a sanctions adviser before you act. Facts checked on 29 October 2026.

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