People and organizations designated “foreign agents” by Russian authorities have reported technical problems when attempting to submit mandatory reports through the Justice Ministry’s new electronic system.
Since October 1, 2026, the Justice Ministry has required “foreign agents” to submit reports electronically through personal accounts on its information portal. Quarterly information on foreign sources of funding, funds received and their expenditure must be submitted no later than the 15th day of the month following the end of each quarter. For the third quarter, the deadline was October 15.
Rights advocates told Siberian Express about problems creating personal accounts, obtaining electronic signatures and accessing the portal. The procedure has been particularly difficult for unregistered associations and for people living abroad who do not have the necessary access to Russian government services.
According to a count by Siberian Express based on data displayed on the Justice Ministry portal, by the morning of October 15 only one of the 157 unregistered associations listed in the registry had managed to submit a report. That figure is a journalistic count based on portal data, not statistics separately published by the Justice Ministry.
Failure to submit required information, or submitting it late, is punishable under Article 19.34 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses by fines of 30,000 to 50,000 rubles for individuals, 100,000 to 300,000 rubles for officials and 300,000 to 500,000 rubles for legal entities.
If a person violates the rules governing “foreign agent” activity after already having been held administratively liable for the relevant offense, or has a prior conviction under Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code, criminal liability may apply. The maximum penalty under that provision in such cases is up to two years in prison.
The reported technical problems therefore affect a system through which the law requires reports to be filed, while missing the filing deadline can lead to administrative penalties and, under conditions specified by law, criminal prosecution.