Expert Insights
Articles & Publications
FAS Banned Advertising on Telegram: What to Do in 2026
Russia's FAS applied ad law to Telegram and opened its first cases. Advertisers and bloggers face fines up to 500,000 rubles. Who is at risk and what to do now.
Early Lease Termination: A Commercial Real Estate Case
A major retail chain left early and withheld the deposit, leaving hidden defects. Contract audit and negotiations saved the owner two million rubles.
Buy, Renovate, Sell: Cutting Tax from 3M to 20,000 Rubles
Bought an old house for renovation, planned to sell before the five-year mark. Documenting reconstruction costs reduced the tax from 3 million to 20,000 rubles.
Realtor vs Lawyer: Who Actually Owns Your New Property
Realtors find the apartment and close the deal. Lawyers make sure you keep it. Seven checks your agent skips — and each one can cost you your home.
Serial Litigants: When a Consent Checkbox Leads to Court
Companies lose up to 50,000 rubles per email for defective marketing consent. How serial litigants operate and what protects businesses from their claims.
Family Consent at Property Closing: Does It Really Help?
After the Dolina case, agents demand letters from the seller's relatives. Those letters carry no legal weight. Here is what actually protects a buyer.
Proving Professional Experience in Russia: What Counts
Professional-specialty experience matters most for career advancement but is the hardest to prove. A guide for employees, sole traders, and business owners.
Title Insurance in Russia: What It Covers and When to Use It
On the secondary market, hidden risks hide in the ownership history, not in the seller's passport. Title insurance protects your property rights, not the walls.
Resignation Under Pressure: Four Steps to Protect Yourself
You resigned and your manager threatens to fire you for cause instead. Russian courts side with employees. Four steps to protect yourself.
Corporate Party During Working Hours: Can You Leave Early?
An employee left the company party early. The employer dismissed them for absence. The court overturned it: a corporate picnic is not a work shift.
Child Support After Payer's Death: Debt vs Future Payments
Death of the payer ends future support, but arrears pass to heirs as estate debt. What the child can claim and what to do if the payer has vanished.
Babushking: 4 Ways to Protect a Resale Property Purchase
Elderly sellers win court cases to reclaim sold apartments, leaving buyers with nothing. Four tools that strengthen your position as a good-faith buyer.
Business Splitting Is Dead: What to Do When Revenue Hits 20M
Russia dropped the VAT-free threshold on simplified tax to 20 million in 2026. The reflex is to split the company. In 2026, that reflex triggers an audit.
Russia's Garage Amnesty Ends 1 September 2026
Federal Law No. 79-FZ gives owners of cooperative garages built before 2004 the right to register title under a simplified procedure — for free.
Hiding Marital Assets in a Relative's Name No Longer Works
Apartment in your mother-in-law's name, car registered to a brother — Russian courts now follow the money. Five markers that expose hidden marital assets.
Investment Deposit vs Bank Deposit: Why the Name Matters
A manager offered a 'reliable deposit' at 18%. A year later the client got back 200,000 of 5 million — six words in a contract heading decided everything.
Key Legislative Changes in Russia from 2026
VAT raised to 22%, minimum wage at 27,093 roubles, new VAT rules for simplified-tax businesses, and anti-fraud protections. What changed and what to do now.
Russian Tax Resident vs Non-Resident: Key Differences
183 days in Russia is the threshold between resident and non-resident. Status is fixed on 31 December and affects your NDFL rate, deductions, and property tax.
Inheritance Contract: What It Is and Who Needs It
Will and gift are not the only options in Russia. An inheritance contract keeps you in full ownership and binds the heir to obligations during your lifetime.
Inheritance Contract vs Gift: Why a Gift Deed Is Dangerous
In Russia, gifting property is one of the riskiest moves for the donor: once registered, you lose it forever. An inheritance contract keeps you protected.
Inheritance Contract vs Will in Russia: How to Choose
A will is a letter sent one way. An inheritance contract is a bilateral deal with obligations while you are alive. Four differences and when to use each.
Non-Capital Structures on a Land Plot
A gazebo, greenhouse, shed, or bath house may be placed on a plot without a building permit — but only if it matches the land's permitted use type and...
Notary Must Disclose Deceased's Debts
From 24 November 2025, a notary opening an estate file is required to check the deceased. Until recently, heirs often discovered a deceased relative's debts...
New Year Legal Traps: Five Mistakes That Lead to Fines
Laws don't take a holiday break. Five legal risk zones that cause the most problems during the New Year period and how to stay on the right side of them.
Russia's Supreme Court Review No. 3, 2025: Key Rulings
Russia's Supreme Court issued its third 2025 review. Land disputes, structures, auto insurance, employment and traffic fines — the rulings that affect everyday life.
Guide for Online Sellers
Consumer abuse exploits strong consumer protection law. We cover key tools: a proper offer, photo evidence, the 7-day return rule, and order exemptions.
Russian Pension Savings: Inherited Money You Can Claim
Millions of Russians have pension savings in the Social Fund that pass to heirs. Most families lose the money because they miss the six-month deadline.
Selling Russian Property as a Non-Resident
Case study: a Turkish tax resident selling Moscow commercial property. Standard NDFL rate: 30%. With a double tax treaty applied correctly: 0%.
Registration in Apartamenty
The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation has found the ban on permanent registration in apartamenty used as primary housing to be unconstitutional.
Not Knowing About a Relative's Death Does Not Restore the
Two Supreme Court rulings confirm:. The six-month deadline for accepting an inheritance is one of the strictest procedural deadlines in Russian law.'I did...
Downtime During Redundancy in Russia
The Third Cassation Court has ruled that placing employees on downtime pay during the two-month redundancy notice period is lawful — we cover the...
Five Steps When the System Works Against You
A bureaucracy ignores you, an employer pressures you, a counterparty stalls. Five tactical steps to shift from victim to claimant in any legal dispute.
Self-Employed in Russia
Apartments and vehicles qualify for the simple 4–6% self-employment tax. Offices, garages, warehouses, land plots and non-residential premises do not — we...
Self-Employed in Russia: 12 Signs of Hidden Employment
The FTS uses 12 criteria to spot hidden employment. We break down each sign and explain how to stay compliant without reclassification risk.
6 Signs Your Employer Is Preparing to Fire You
Your employer has decided to let you go and is now building a legal paper trail to justify it. Six concrete warning signs every employee should recognise.
Dismissal for Absenteeism in Russia
Four 2025 cassation court rulings expose common procedural errors: a single explanation request does not cover multiple absence acts, a workplace must be...
Permanent Residents: 7 People Who Can Never Be Evicted
Russian law permanently protects certain residents from eviction, even if the property changes hands. Seven categories to check before buying resale property.
From 1 November 2025, Russian Tax Authority Can Collect
The Federal Tax Service has gained the right to collect personal tax debts directly from bank accounts without a court order.
VAT Rate on Simplified Tax: the Hidden Partner Conflict
22 percent with deductions or 5–7 without? Easy math for the accountant. For a multi-founder company, it is a deadlock trigger for every dividend discussion.
Paying Off a Car Loan From Investments: the Tax Trap
A 736,000-rouble car loan, gold on an ОМС account, equities in Sber. Selling everything at once would cost 13% in income tax. Here is how we structured the exit.
Four Anti-Fraud Tools Russians Got in 2026
Russia's 2026 laws gave citizens four concrete defences against fraud — what each one does, where it falls short, and whether to switch it on.
Death of a Worker in a Marketplace Warehouse Emergency
A worker died at a marketplace warehouse. A step-by-step guide for the family: how to participate in the official investigation, claim the...
Death of a Contract Worker at a Warehouse
Marketplace warehouse emergencies and contract workers: how to reclassify a GPC agreement as employment and claim the full 2-million-rouble payout.
Learned Helplessness Among WB Sellers
Bots in community chats are spreading the message that. While some sellers are right now securing evidence with a notary, preparing primary documents, and...
WB Warehouse
When collecting surviving goods from a WB warehouse after an emergency, return acts may contain hidden language waiving all claims.
Russian Insurer Refused to Pay for Burned Warehouse Stock
If you were among the foresighted sellers who insured your goods at the marketplace warehouse, your first reaction after the fire may have been...
Court Filing Fees for Marketplace Claims in Russia
After Russia. Lawyers can quote Civil Code articles at length, demonstrate the oppressive nature of force-majeure clauses, and prove that retroactive...
Notarial Evidence Preservation After a Warehouse Fire
A standard screenshot from your WB seller account is not valid evidence in Russian arbitration proceedings. We explain why you need a notary, what the...
Suppliers and Banks Demanding Money After a Warehouse Fire
Goods burned, loan payment due in five days, the factory is threatening a lawsuit. How to legally take the initiative, obtain debt restructuring, and...
Maths of WB 'Benefits': Real Numbers After a Fire
WB offers a 3% discount in exchange for burned stock worth 5 million roubles. The calculation: you need 166 million in turnover to recover that sum.
Behind the Scenes: How a Lawyer Builds a Defence Strategy
We reveal the internal logic of legal work on WB warehouse fire cases: splitting deliveries by date, challenging oppressive terms under Article 428,...
4 Myths About Wildberries Terms and Drone Force Majeure
After major incidents at marketplace warehouses, the same misconceptions reliably appear in seller communities. They suppress the will to act and push...
Warehouse Fire on a Russian Marketplace
While lawyers build the legal position, your primary task as a business owner is to preserve the evidence. Experience from previous major warehouse fires...
Marketplace Terms Are Not Above Russian Law
The marketplace updated its terms and declared drone strikes force majeure. Under Articles 901 and 425 of the Civil Code, this is a legal fiction.
Marketplace 'Logistics Discount' Instead of Fire
After a warehouse fire, the marketplace offers a logistics discount instead of real money. We explain why Article 901 of the Civil Code makes this legally void.
Russian Adoption Documents with Apostille
A Canadian family adopted a child from Russia in 2008. In 2026 they needed the original Russian birth certificate and court adoption decree with apostille...
Burned Inventory and Tax Penalties in Russia
Goods destroyed in a fire seem like an obvious loss — but without proper documentation, Russia. At first glance, a fire is an obvious force majeure event.'s...
Legal Strategy for Marketplace Sellers After a Warehouse
The marketplace offers a compromise instead of real compensation. How to build a legal defence: splitting deliveries by the date the terms changed,...
Article 7.1 on Judges Returning From Retirement
Article 7.1 allows retired judges to return to the bench. An emergency staffing tool that has become a privilege for insiders at double cost to the budget.
Warehouse Fire: Rights of Injured Workers — Staff, GPC,
Were you injured in a fire at a marketplace warehouse? The amount and speed of compensation depend on how you were formally employed.'you're under a GPC...
Marketplace UAV Force Majeure Clause
Marketplaces have added UAV strikes to their offer agreements as force majeure and are offering discounts instead of compensation.
Arbitration Court Filing Fees Have Become Prohibitive
A claim against Wildberries for 10 million rubles now costs 325,000 rubles just in court filing fees. The law is on sellers' side — but marketplaces are...
Marketplace Blocked Your Account After a Fire
Your warehouse burned down and the marketplace has locked you out of your seller account — the one with all your records and inventory data?'s a strategy.
Wildberries 'Sales Simulator'
Wildberries announced payments to 88,000 affected sellers and launched a. After warehouse fires, Wildberries announced payments to 88,000 sellers and...
Russian Supreme Court Review 2026
The Supreme Court published a landmark review in the wake of the Dolina case. We break down five key positions: when. On July 1, 2026, the Russian Supreme...
Warehouse Fire at a Marketplace
Is the marketplace offering a. When you transfer goods to a marketplace warehouse, a custodial relationship arises between you.'logistics discount' in...
How to Recover Unlawful Marketplace Fines
Wildberries automatically withheld 1.4 million rubles for. Our client was a home textiles manufacturer selling on Wildberries and Ozon.'incorrect package...
ASK VAT-3: How the Tax Authority's AI Checks Your Business
ASK VAT-3 is an AI-powered tax control system that analyses returns, bank statements, and external databases. We explain how it detects affiliation, what...
Bought a Business Share, Then Tax Claims Arrived
A buyer acquired a share in an LLC, and a year later the tax authority presented claims for prior periods totalling tens of millions of...
One Day's Error
An employer dismissed an employee having violated the explanation deadline by exactly one working day. The Supreme Court ruled the dismissal unlawful.
A Director Paid 50 Million Rubles From Personal Assets
A court required a company director to personally pay 50 million rubles for an unsuccessful business transaction. We examine how director liability...
Absenteeism and Dismissal's Supreme Court
An employer dismissed an employee for absenteeism, but the court reinstated them. The Supreme Court ruled: dismissal for absenteeism is only lawful when...
Workplace Fines Are Illegal
Is your employer fining you for being late, making mistakes, or missing sales targets? This is unlawful. The Labour Code does not recognise fines as a...
The Court Database Disappeared and Came Back
In 2024, a significant number of judicial decisions temporarily disappeared from public access on the kad.arbitr.ru arbitration case index website.'s...
673,000 Rubles in Frozen Pension Savings
Since 2014, insurance contributions to the funded pension pillar have been frozen — redirected to the insurance part. But savings accumulated before 2014...
Director Subsidiary Liability
The Federal Tax Service has three legal mechanisms to hold directors personally liable for company debts — even through a closed LLC structure.
How a 1,000-Ruble Fine Becomes 29,000
A small fine for an amended return from five years ago — and suddenly 29,000 rubles are seized from your bank account. We trace the mechanism by which the...
Inheritance Agreement, Will, or Gift
Three instruments for transferring property to heirs — each with its own risks. An inheritance agreement binds the heir during the testator's lifetime.
The State as a Predator
When the state begins treating business as a revenue source at any cost, a predictable chain of events is set in motion.
VAT for Simplified-Tax-Regime Businesses
Since 2025, simplified-tax-regime (USN) businesses with annual revenue above 60 million rubles must pay VAT. In 2026 the threshold may fall to 20 million.
Why Judges Are Almost Never Criminally Prosecuted
Russia has thousands of judges, but criminal cases against them are rare. This is by design. We explain how judicial immunity works, who can lift it, and...
Director Abroad and E-Signature
The director — a genuine one, not a figurehead — lives abroad. The company operates in Russia. Documents need to be signed, tax returns filed, and banks...
The 50/50 Business Deadlock
Two partners with equal shares cannot agree — the company is paralysed. How do you prevent this from happening, and how do you get out if it already has?
Divorce Property Division
Many people still believe that whoever is listed as owner in the property register wins at divorce. This is a dangerous and costly misconception.'s name —...
Tax on Selling Russian Property as a Non-Resident
A Russian citizen living abroad for more than 183 days a year pays personal income tax at 30% when selling a Russian apartment — instead of 13% for residents.
You Bought a Plot, But It's Forest Land
A buyer acquired a residential plot, registered ownership, started building — and received a notice from the prosecutor.
Messenger Chats as Court Evidence
The Supreme Court confirmed: a messenger chat can be recognised as a written agreement when the parties, subject matter, and terms are clearly identifiable.
Trade Secrets
A sales manager leaves for a competitor and takes the client database with them. This happens every day. But if your trade secret regime is properly...
The Employee Trap: When an Employer Provokes a Violation
An employer cannot lawfully dismiss an employee and so begins to create situations in which the employee will inevitably breach their contract.
Resignation Letter Submitted by a Representative Under a
An employee gave a relative a power of attorney who then submitted a resignation letter on their behalf. The court reinstated the employee: the power of...
Fired for Internet Use at Work? Without Proof, Unlawful
An employer dismissed an employee for using a work computer for personal purposes. The court reinstated them. The key condition for a lawful dismissal on...
Drunk Passengers on a Flight
An airline allowed a drunk passenger to board and they caused a disturbance. The flight was delayed or your journey was ruined.
Redundancy: Vacant Positions Must Be Offered From the
A court ruled a redundancy unlawful: the employer offered vacancies only on the last day before dismissal, even though the redundancy decision had been made...
Abandoned Dacha: When the State Can Take Your Plot and
Since 2024, the state has had a mechanism for compulsorily acquiring abandoned land plots through an accelerated procedure.'abandonment' is identified, and...
Online Returns Made Easier
The Constitutional Court simplified online returns. Consumers choose between delivering items or having sellers collect them. Here is what changed.
Child Support as 'Virtual Income'
Under the new benefit calculation rules, child support is in some cases counted as family income. This unexpectedly strips some families of benefit...
Serial Consumer Litigants
A checkbox consent can trigger a professional consumer claim. We explain how serial consumer litigants operate and how to protect your business.
Selling Securities to Repay a Loan? Use the Three-Year
You. Article 219.1 of the Tax Code establishes an investment tax deduction based on the holding period: if you have held securities (shares, bonds, mutual...
Self-Employed Status and the Property Tax Deduction
Self-employed individuals do not pay personal income tax (NDFL) — so under the standard scheme they cannot claim the property tax deduction when buying a home.
The Social Fund Wants Your Pension Money Back
The Social Fund of Russia has sent a demand to return pension payments you already spent. Does this happen? Yes. But if the overpayment was the Fund's fault...
Insurance Contributions for LLC Directors in 2026
From 2026, LLC directors employed under an employment contract must pay insurance contributions even if the company carries on no activity and has no other...
A 525,000-Ruble Weight Control Fine
A lorry passed through a weigh station and received a 525,000-ruble fine for overloading. The company challenged the fine and won: the measuring equipment...
Lifetime Right of Residence
You bought an apartment — and someone lives in it who cannot be evicted, either by court order or any other means. This is a lifetime right of residence,...
Hidden Risks in Secondary Market Property
You bought an apartment on the secondary market — and two years later a previous owner comes forward with a claim to it.
Patient Rights at a Private Clinic't
A paid clinic is your service provider under a contract, and you are a consumer with rights. Poor service, undisclosed risks, charges for unnecessary tests?
A Government Body Sent a Non-Answer
Filed a complaint and got a boilerplate response? This violates No. 59-FZ. We explain how to demand a real answer and what legal tools are available.
Noisy Neighbour: Three Legal Steps That Actually Work
Your neighbour makes noise at night, carries out renovation work at prohibited hours, or keeps several dogs. Talking hasn't helped.
Workplace Mobbing: What It Is Under Russian Law and How
Colleagues systematically ignore you, your manager criticises you publicly, your tasks change daily without explanation — this is not just an unpleasant...
ILI Is Not a Bank Deposit
Investment Life Insurance (ILI, ИСЖ in Russian) is a hybrid financial product: a life insurance policy and an investment instrument combined.'attractive...
The Management Company Pays
The attic lock in the building was broken — teenagers climbed onto the roof and pushed metal sheeting onto cars below. The court ordered the management...
Rosfinmonitoring and Real Estate Transactions
Buying or selling property? A bank may demand you explain the money source. We explain which transactions Rosfinmonitoring monitors and how to prepare.
Denied Access to Your Child
Your former spouse systematically blocks contact with your child — rescheduling visits, hiding the child, or relocating without notice.'s place of residence.
New Real Estate Transaction Safety Mechanisms in 2026
The state has been steadily introducing tools to protect against fraud in real estate transactions: bans on transactions without personal attendance,...
Russia's Constitutional Court Allows Registration in a
The Constitutional Court examined a complaint about denial of residence registration after several small apartments were merged into one.
Tax on the Sale of a Minor's Property
Under the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, the taxpayer is the owner — in this case, the minor child. However, because a minor does not have full...
The 30-Hour Working Week for Parents with Many Children
Since 2024, employees with three or more children under 18 may request a reduced working week — 30 hours instead of 40. The benefit is established by law,...
Bona Fide Purchaser
Russia. A bona fide (good-faith) purchaser is a buyer who: did not know and could not have known that the seller had no right to transfer the property,...
How to Protect Your Business When Working with Foreign
Practical guidance on drafting contracts with foreign partners, selecting governing law, and resolving disputes. When entering into agreements with foreign coun
Administrative Liability of Foreign Nationals in Russia
Ignorantia non est argumentum — ignorance of the law is no defense. What violations expose foreign nationals to liability in Russia, and how to protect your...
Aeroflot and ERV Insurance: A Case of Arbitrary Denials
A real client story: a delayed flight, lost luggage, an insurance denial — and the journey to justice through the courts.
Personal Income Tax on Real Estate Sales
*A real-life situation: a grandfather gifted an apartment to his grandson. The grandson sold it for 2.6 million rubles before the three-year ownership...'s...
Termination of Parental Rights in Russia
All 6 statutory grounds under Article 69 of the Family Code, the difference between restriction and termination of parental rights, the step-by-step court...
Self-Employed Status in Russia
Since 2019, Russia has introduced an official self-employed status — we explain who qualifies, what taxes apply, and how it differs from a sole proprietorship.
Employment Contract vs. Civil Contract
Employers often opt for a civil contract instead of an employment contract to reduce payroll costs. We explain when this is lawful — and when a court will...
If You Are Involved in a Traffic Accident
A practical guide for what to do at the scene of an accident: what not to sign, when a simplified Europrotocol is available (up to 400,000 rubles with...
Lifetime Maintenance Agreement: An Alternative to a Will
How to transfer an apartment in exchange for care — a detailed look at the lifetime annuity agreement: differences from a will, tax implications, risks, and...
Adoption and Guardianship of Children
The Dima Yakovlev Law prohibits U.S. citizens from adopting Russian children — but exceptions exist. We explain who may adopt and who may serve as a guardian.
Inheriting Pension Savings
Can a deceased relative pension savings be inherited? A step-by-step guide: who can apply, what documents are needed, and the deadlines that matter.
How to Challenge a Contract: Cases from Our Practice
Two real cases from Veritas practice: a security company. Clients often come to us after signing an unfavorable agreement.'s insurance contract and the sale...
Your Website and Content
Three levels of intellectual property protection on the internet — from technical safeguards to litigation with potential awards of up to 5 million rubles.
Online Legal Counsel
How to obtain quality legal advice over the internet without leaving home — and how to avoid falling victim to fraud. The pace of modern life and the growth of
Affordable Legal Help
Three myths about inexpensive legal services — and practical ways to save: online consultations, outsourcing, and regional attorneys.
Interview: Julia Nagibina on Business in Chelyabinsk —
How to choose the right business structure, why you need an attorney from day one, and why Abraham Lincoln spent four hours sharpening his axe — an...
A Government Procurement Attorney
Trillions of rubles flow through Russia public procurement each year. We explain who a government procurement attorney is and what Veritas offers.
Online Romance Scams: How Not to Become a Victim
Six practical steps for verifying someone you met online — from reverse image search to checking the Federal Bailiff Service database.
Rights of Civil Servants Under Federal Law No. 79-FZ
Can a civil servant drive for a rideshare service, run a blog, or register on a dating site? We examine real-life questions under Federal Law No.
Registering or Dissolving a Marriage with a Foreign National
Where to register a marriage with a foreign national, what documents are required, and how to legalize foreign certificates — a step-by-step breakdown.
Recovering a Debt Through Court Proceedings Involving a
How a Russian citizen can recover a debt from a foreign national, and how a foreign national can pursue a claim in a Russian court — a detailed overview...
Arbitrazh (Commercial) Court Disputes in Russia
Full breakdown of the Russian commercial court process: types of disputes, the mandatory pre-trial claim, court fees updated September 2024, three...
Foreign Companies in Russian Government Procurement
Foreign companies are entitled to participate in tenders under Federal Law No. 44-FZ — but not in all of them. We review the national treatment regime,...
Government Contracts
A government contracting authority may impose financial penalties — but not always lawfully. We review the grounds for exemption from liability, reduction...
Delivering Goods with Improved Specifications Under a
The contracting authority refuses to accept goods that exceed the contract specifications — is that lawful? We examine the three conditions for a...
Challenging Procurement Results
A step-by-step guide to filing a complaint regarding violations in government procurement under Federal Law No. 44-FZ: deadlines, content requirements,...
How to Challenge and Reduce Cadastral Value in Russia
Step-by-step guide to challenging cadastral value in 2026: the new procedure through a State Budgetary Institution (GBU) under Federal Law No.