Russian language law
Law 168-FZ and the .РУС domain
Since 1 March 2026, information for consumers in Russia must be in Russian. What the law requires, what it does not, and where the website address fits in.
What the law requires
Since 1 March 2026, amendments made by Federal Law No. 168-FZ of 24 June 2025 require information intended for consumers on signs, notices, information plates and shop fittings to be in Russian. Foreign words are allowed with an equivalent translation, or if they are a registered trademark, a company name from the state register or a common term. Advertising is regulated separately by the Federal Antimonopoly Service, where trademarks and company names also need no translation.
What it does not require
The law does not concern domain names. A website address is a technical identifier of a host on the network, not information about goods or services, so there is no need to change a domain to comply.
One brand, one language
The case for a Cyrillic address is marketing, not compliance. If a shop is called «Ромашка» on its sign and in radio ads but its site is romashka.ru, customers see Cyrillic and have to type Latin. A Cyrillic address is typed and said exactly as the brand is written. It works as an addition, not a move: the main site stays where it is, and the Cyrillic address points to it with a 301 redirect.
Three kinds of Cyrillic domains
Cyrillic top-level domains fall into three categories: territorial, where the address names a city or country; thematic, meant for a certain type of content and usually restricted; and linguistic, tied neither to a territory nor to a subject. .РУС is a linguistic zone open to companies from any country.
Common misconceptions
No. The law does not concern domain names: a website address is a technical identifier, not consumer information.
If the sign, ads and business cards are in Russian while the website address is transliterated, the business effectively has two names. A Cyrillic address is typed exactly as it is read.
A registered trademark may indeed stay untranslated, but descriptions and other website texts still have to be in Russian. The Russian spelling of the brand in .РУС can be registered by anyone, so many companies secure it in advance as a second address.
No. .РУС is a generic top-level domain, open to people and companies in any country for whom the Russian language matters.
This page is for information only and is not legal advice.