How to read legal citations in Russia

Russian law is codified. A federal law is cited by its date and its number with the letters 'FZ' (federal law), plus its title. Codes are cited by article. Court decisions are cited by court, date and case number.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Style guide: Official publication in the Collection of Legislation and the official legal portal. Russia has no single citation style for lawyers. Laws are cited by type, date, number and title, as published in the official portal and the Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation.

Real citations, decoded

Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.

A federal law Statute

Type and date Federal Law of 27 July 2006
The kind of act and the date it was signed.
Number No. 152-FZ
The act's number. 'FZ' (ФЗ) stands for federal law, and 152 is its running number for that year.
Title 'On Personal Data'
The law's title, in English translation. In Russian: «О персональных данных».

A code article Code

Code Civil Code of the Russian Federation
Russia's civil code, in several parts adopted from 1994 onwards. Often abbreviated GK RF (ГК РФ).
Article art 15
Article 15 is about compensation for losses (damages).

The Constitution Constitution

Instrument Constitution of the Russian Federation
Adopted by referendum in 1993.
Article and part art 15(4)
Article 15, part 4. This part says that generally recognised principles of international law and international treaties are part of the Russian legal system.

Amendments in 2020 changed parts of the Constitution, so check the current text.

Things to remember

Russian legal texts are divided into articles (статья, ст.), parts (часть, ч.) and points (пункт, п.). A pinpoint reads 'art 15, part 1, point 2'.
Court decisions of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court are cited by court, type of ruling, date and number.
The Russian words 'Postanovlenie' (resolution), 'Opredelenie' (ruling) and 'Reshenie' (decision) are the common types of court act.
Many English translations of Russian codes are unofficial, so always check the Russian text.

Where to find the text, free

To understand how courts and law fit together in Russia, read the Russia profile in the Legal Families Atlas.

TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.