Government to Review Bill Supporting National AI Models
The revised bill establishes the country's core legal definitions for artificial intelligence, laying the foundation for a Russian market for large AI models.
The Russian federal government is expected to review a bill at one of its upcoming meetings that would establish the legal framework for state support of large domestic AI models. The revised draft has already been approved by the Commission on Legislative Activities and, following government review, will be submitted to the State Duma. For the first time, the legislation defines artificial intelligence, a large language model, and national and sovereign AI models. Special requirements would apply only to foundation models, while smaller application-specific AI solutions would remain outside additional regulation. The government would also gain authority to designate sectors where only national or sovereign AI models may be used.
Such legislation could create guaranteed demand across Russia's IT sector for domestically developed AI models required by government agencies and major infrastructure organizations. In practice, it would also stimulate investment in Russian data centers, software platforms and computing hardware.
Russian AI Heads East
If the bill is enacted, Russia is expected to develop a dedicated market for large domestic AI models serving both the public and enterprise sectors. These models could be deployed in digital assistants for government agencies, citizen request analysis, agency workflow automation, medical and industrial data processing, and the protection of critical information infrastructure.
Official recognition would also serve as a government certification of technological independence for developers. That, in turn, could strengthen export opportunities not only for AI models themselves but also for deployment technologies, fine-tuning tools, data management platforms and solutions for building national AI ecosystems. The strongest potential markets include CIS countries, BRICS members, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Success, however, will depend on adapting systems to each country's language and legal framework while remaining competitive against established international platforms.
Refining the Regulatory Framework
The need for AI legislation has been building for years. In October 2021, Russia adopted the Kodeks etiki v sfere II (AI Code of Ethics), which became one of the country's principal instruments for "soft" regulation of the sector. In 2024, the updated National AI Development Strategy through 2030 linked AI policy to technological sovereignty, workforce development, infrastructure expansion and the deployment of Russian AI solutions across the economy.
By the spring of 2025, Russia had introduced 14 experimental legal regimes that allowed digital and AI technologies to be tested under temporarily modified regulatory requirements. A year later, the Ministry of Digital Development released a draft law for public discussion outlining the foundations of government regulation for AI. The current bill takes a different approach by focusing specifically on large foundation models rather than the AI sector as a whole. Broader regulatory requirements have either been removed or deferred for future consideration.
Avoid Overly Restrictive Requirements
The legislation would give the government authority to establish dedicated rules for the most powerful AI models used in public administration and critical infrastructure. The law itself will be only part of the regulatory framework. Implementing regulations will determine which models qualify for special status, what incentives and subsidies developers may receive, where foreign AI models may face restrictions, and how authorities will verify the safety, quality and Russian origin of the technologies.
The greatest risk under the new legislative framework would be excessively stringent requirements or a non-transparent process for obtaining official status. In the least favorable scenario, state support could become concentrated among only a handful of the country's largest technology companies.
