The State Duma has passed in the second and third and final readings the law on protecting the Russian language from the excessive use of foreign words in public space. The document, which will come into force on March 1, 2026, amends a number of federal laws, including “On Advertising” and “On Consumer Rights Protection”.
One of the key innovations is the requirement to post public information. Now signboards, signs, information boards in shopping centers and other public places must be in Russian. The use of other languages of the peoples of Russia is allowed, but only if the content and design are fully identical to the Russian-language version.
The law also introduces a direct ban on the assignment of foreign names to residential complexes and neighborhoods. Such names will now have to be written exclusively in the Cyrillic alphabet. It is important to note that the adopted restrictions will not affect officially registered firm names, trademarks and service marks.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged to “get rid of vulgar and mechanical foreign borrowings”, which, according to him, do not enrich, but distort the Russian language, and emphasized the need to use the Cyrillic alphabet in public space.