Putin Approves Diluted Russian Language Protection Law Amid Controversy

On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin enacted a long-awaited law designed to safeguard the Russian language, although independent analysts point out that the legislation has been considerably diluted from its initial draft.

From March 2026, it will be mandatory for store signage and public notifications—such as “open,” “closed,” and “sale”—to be presented in Russian. While translations into other languages will still be acceptable, the Russian text must appear in the same font, size, and color.

“The terms ‘open,’ ‘closed,’ ‘sale,’ and informational signs must be primarily in Russian as the state language,” stated senior lawmaker Olga Kazakova last week. “However, translations into other languages are not… prohibited.”

Businesses that fail to comply could face fines ranging from 500 to 10,000 rubles (approximately $6.50 to $128) for small and medium enterprises.

This law does not extend to advertising or registered trademarks.

The initial draft of the bill, which was presented to the State Duma in late 2023, suggested much wider restrictions. Nevertheless, it faced criticism from businesses and government officials who deemed it excessive and legally unsound.

Provisions that would have mandated that advertisements and brand names be displayed in Russian were ultimately removed.

“The patriotic bill has been reduced to a shadow of its original form. Its scope was halved by the time of the second reading,” commented exiled journalist Farida Rustamova.

Yelena Yampolskaya, a co-author of the bill and current presidential advisor on culture and the arts, recently expressed her concerns to Putin regarding the backlash against the legislation. In response, Putin denounced the use of “vulgar and mechanical foreign loanwords that do not enrich but rather pollute and distort our language.”

The most significant restriction remaining in the law prohibits construction companies from using the Latin alphabet for naming new residential developments. Experts indicate that this will impact less than 7% of the approximately 4,700 complexes currently under construction in Russia.

The law is set to come into force on March 1, 2026.