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Country Background

Russia is a country located in Northern Asia, extending from Europe in the west to the North Pacific Ocean in the east. Russia is bounded by Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, North Korea, and China. The capital of Russia is Moscow. The official language is Russian. The country’s population in 2016 was approximately 142.3 million. Russia is a predominantly non-religious country, a product of seven decades of Soviet rule. Additionally, 15-20% of the country's population is Christian and 10-15% is Muslim. Russia is an observer state of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Constitution & Legal Structure

Russia is referred to as a semi-presidential federation, in which sovereignty lies with the people and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Russia is a democratic federative law-governed state with a republican form of government. The current Constitution of Russia was adopted in 1993 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and it was most recently amended in 2014. The system of government is based on principles of separation and checks and balances and has three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The legal system of Russia is a civil law system. 

Constitutional Status of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no constitutional status in Russia.

Jurisdiction(s) of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no official jurisdiction of operation in Russia.

Dominant School of Islamic Law

Russia has no official school of Islamic law. 

Sources of Law for Legal Research

Official Publications

• Legislative
  •  Federalnoye Sobraniye [Federal Assembly] consisting of the Sovet Federatsii [Federation Council] and the Gosudarstvennaya Duma [State Duma]
  • Rossiiskaia Gazeta (official gazette)
• Executive
  • Government Portal
  • President
  • Prime Minister
• Judicial
  • Supreme Court of Russia
  • Constitutional Court - includes decisions (in English) 
  • Highest Court of Arbitration 

 Unofficial Databases

• Legal Research Guide: Russia - Official Sources of Law (Law Library of Congress)
• FAOLEX: Russia (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) database of national laws and regulations on food, agriculture, and renewable natural resources.
• GLIN Archive: Russia [1993-2007] (Law Library of Congress) includes summaries; full text is accessible from a Reading Room.
• NATLEX: Russia (International Labour Organization) database of national laws on labor, social security, and related human rights.
• RefWorld Legal Information: Russia (UNHCR)
• WIPO Lex: Russia (World Intellectual Property Organization)

References:

For an extended list of legal resources for this country, see the Library of Congress’s Research Guide, and for a narrative review, see the GlobaLex Foreign Law Research Guide (most updated version, where available). The Constitution is available in the LOC Guide in its original language and at Constitute in English translation. For full versions of past constitutions, amendments, and related legislation, see HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated or Oxford Constitutions of the World [subscription required for each].