Supplementary – Russia – Whistleblowing Laws in Europe: An international guide

As Russia is not a Member State of the EU, the answers to the following questions are given in accordance with national legislation.

1) Local Laws

a) Has the country implemented any laws / regulations on whistleblowing (Local Law)?

As of today, Russian law contains only one specific provision on the protection of whistleblowers. Part 4 of Article 9 of Russia‘s 2008 Federal Law No. 273-FZ on Counteracting Corruption (the Anti-Corruption Law) states that civil servants or state officials who report on corruptive offences will enjoy state protection. This protection is afforded in accordance with the general Russian legal provisions granting protection to participants in criminal cases. The state might, for example, provide such witnesses with physical protection, relocate them, or even give them new identities. However, the law is still silent on protection of whistleblowers for reporting committed or potential corruption offences.

On December 13, 2017, the State Duma adopted amendments to the Anti-corruption Law that were intended to introduce measures in Russia aimed at protecting whistleblowers who report on corruption offences and laying out responsibilities of employers and law enforcement authorities. However, in June 2019, this legislative initiative ultimately failed.

At present, there is no effective legislation protecting whistleblowers. Thus, in the fight against corruption, Russia is increasingly lagging behind the EU, which adopted the Whistleblowing Directive.

All other questions are not applicable.