Russia to Implement Foreign Language Advertising Ban: Russian Language Becomes Mandatory, Potentially Affecting E-commerce Platforms and Social Media Channels

[Ebrun Exclusive] February 14th news: According to Russian media reports, starting March 1, 2026, Russia will officially implement a new regulation aimed at restricting the use of foreign language vocabulary, such as English, in commercial and public information, thereby strengthening the status of Russian as the "primary language of communication."

This policy change means that companies operating in the Russian market, especially those involved in retail e-commerce and cross-border business, will face a new round of compliance adjustments.

In recent years, similar to global trends, the advertising and commercial communication sectors in Russia have widely incorporated foreign words, particularly English expressions. Relevant studies show that over 40% of advertising materials contain foreign language elements. Legislators believe that the excessive use of foreign languages may affect consumers' understanding of information and also weaken the dominant position of Russian in public spaces. This legislation has been introduced against this backdrop.

According to the new regulation, starting March 1, 2026, in all commercial sales scenarios, foreign language vocabulary cannot be used alone without Russian translation. Any use of foreign language content must be accompanied by a Russian translation or corresponding Russian expression, for example, "Распродажа / Sale".

The foreign language information and the Russian version must be completely identical in content and equivalent in layout and technical presentation. As the state language, Russian must be placed first and have priority status. Any visual inequality, such as the Russian font being significantly smaller than the foreign language font, will be considered a violation of legal requirements. Using only a foreign language to produce signs, indicators, and logos without an accompanying Russian translation will constitute a violation.

Regarding penalties, according to Article 14.8 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, the illegal use of foreign languages on information carriers like signs will result in fines for responsible persons: officials face fines of 500 to 1,000 rubles, and legal entities face fines of 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.

If the violation is identified as an advertisement, Article 14.3 applies, significantly increasing the penalties: officials face fines of 4,000 to 20,000 rubles, and legal entities face fines of 100,000 to 500,000 rubles.

In cases of severe or repeated violations, the relevant advertising campaign may be temporarily suspended.

Regulatory bodies, in addition to FAS Russia (the Federal Antimonopoly Service) and the prosecutor's office, also include Roskomnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media), which has the authority to impose restrictions or blocking measures on non-compliant websites and online platforms.

It is noteworthy that industry insiders widely believe the scope of the new regulation is likely to extend to the internet sphere, including product pages on e-commerce platforms, banner advertisements, and profile information on social media official accounts. Given the open-ended definition of "information carrier" in the legal text, whether online channels are fully exempt remains uncertain. For companies reliant on online sales and digital marketing, this implies increased compliance costs and operational risks.

To mitigate risks, industry professionals suggest that companies expanding into the Russian market should initiate comprehensive compliance reviews as soon as possible.

First, they should systematically review all consumer-facing display channels, including offline signs, advertising materials, official websites, e-commerce pages, social media accounts, and related documentation. Any use of foreign language vocabulary, such as 'coffee', 'fresh', 'sale', 'shop', 'open', should ensure Russian is the primary presentation, with the foreign language only serving as an auxiliary repetition.

Second, accurate translation or bilingual labeling should be applied to foreign words that have Russian equivalents, ensuring consistency in font size, color, and typeface between the two languages. If certain foreign words lack direct Russian equivalents, they may be used under limited conditions after checking against the standardized vocabulary list approved by the Vinogradov Russian Language Institute.

Furthermore, companies should communicate the new requirements to distributors and partners to ensure synchronized adjustments across the channel.

However, the new regulation does include certain exceptions.

Trademarks previously registered in accordance with the law, even if they contain foreign language vocabulary or are written in the Latin alphabet, are not subject to the ban and can be used without translation. Legally registered company names are also not constrained by the new law. For companies that have not yet completed trademark registration, proactively managing intellectual property may become an important path to reducing compliance risks.

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