Press Center: Legal updates

On September 8, 2026, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India published a draft amendment to the Drugs Rules from 1945, according to which a pharmacy must dispense any prescription drugs under video surveillance that records the dispensing, and keep the recordings for at least three months. For companies operating in both markets, it is important to take into account the difference in approaches. We cover this in more detail in our legal alert.

On 30 September 2026, a draft Federal Law “On Amendments to the Federal Law ‘On Communications’ and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” (ID 171465) (hereinafter – the “Draft Law”) was published.

The Draft Law provides for the third package of measures to combat offences committed using information and communication technologies (“Antifraud 3.0”), and consistently continues the two previous ones.

Since the beginning of 2025, Russian courts have issued several landmark rulings in the field of personal data processing. These cases affect the interests of banks, marketplaces, solid waste management operators, employers, and online platforms. Some positions confirm long-standing approaches (withdrawal of consent does not terminate processing where a contract or legal obligation exists), while others establish new guidelines for businesses (processing of a beneficiary's data without consent, inadmissibility of contacting a previous employer without the candidate's permission).

Our review covers seven recent cases with conclusions that will help DPOs, legal teams, and information security departments minimize risks and establish compliant processes.

On August 4, 2026, the President of the Russian Federation signed Federal Constitutional Law No. 3‑FKZ of August 4, 2026, “On Amending Article 19 of the Federal Constitutional Law ‘On the Judicial System of the Russian Federation’ and Article 5 of the Federal Constitutional Law ‘On the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation’” (hereinafter – the “Law”)[1].

The Russian Government has submitted to the State Duma a draft law proposing to regulate the procedure for reducing the remuneration payable to court-appointed experts in civil, commercial and administrative proceedings.

The draft law has been prepared in furtherance of Ruling No. 6-P of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation dated 11 February 2026, in which the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation indicated the need to establish criteria for the permissible reduction of an expert’s remuneration previously agreed and approved by the court.

The Ministry of Justice of Russia has prepared the draft federal law “On Amendments to Article 477 of Part Two of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation”. The draft law was prepared in order to implement Ruling No. 38-P of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation dated 9 June 2026 which declared paragraph 2 of Article 477 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation unconstitutional to the extent that it creates uncertainty as to whether a buyer may bring court claims after the expiry of the two-year period for discovering defects, provided that the defects themselves were identified within that period.

Russian pharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly looking toward the GCC and MENA regions. But "entering" and "establishing a foothold" are challenges of entirely different magnitudes.

The two key markets in the region — the UAE and Saudi Arabia — despite their undeniable appeal, require fundamentally different approaches.

Together with the Pharvestnik Magazine, Julia Kuzmenko, Counsel and Head of Regulatory Practice at Lidings, examined the nuances of the regulatory architecture in these two jurisdictions.

On 24 August 2026, Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 604 “On Measures to Ensure the Security of Critical Infrastructure Facilities of the Russian Federation” (the Decree) was published and entered into force. The Decree empowers the Government of the Russian Federation, acting upon an instruction of the President, to introduce temporary administration over business entities connected with critical infrastructure facilities.

Lidings' lawyers have prepared a review following the Roskomnadzor "Open Day" held on 14 August 2026, and have compiled the regulator's responses to practical questions from personal data operators. Below are the key findings from the event.

On 26 July 2026, Federal Law No. 246-FZ dated 26 July 2026 “On Amendments to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation” (the “Law”) was adopted, introducing regulation of the employment internships into the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (the “Labor Code”).