The Russian Government Commission has given the green light to the draft law on AI: sovereign models will receive priority.
On June 22, the government commission on legislative activities approved a document aimed at supporting the development of artificial intelligence in Russia. This is an important step in shaping the legal framework for one of the most dynamic technological fields.
The key feature of the bill is that it is addressed exclusively to large fundamental models containing more than 1 billion parameters. Such systems are divided into two categories: "sovereign," fully developed by a Russian legal entity on local infrastructure, and "national," which allow the use of open-source components.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko emphasized that it is the sovereign and national models that will receive priority state support and be implemented in the most sensitive areas, such as public administration. This is a logical step in the context of the global race for technological sovereignty.
Notably, a number of controversial provisions were excluded from the final version of the document. The category of "trusted" models for critical information infrastructure was abandoned due to existing requirements from the FSTEC and the FSB. Also removed were mandatory labeling of AI-generated content, copyright clauses, data center regulation, and restrictions on foreign neural networks. According to Grigorenko, the project does not imply a ban on foreign solutions.
Timelines and Transition Period
The document is planned to be submitted to the State Duma by the end of this week. The main provisions are expected to come into force on September 1, 2026, and the norms regarding government powers on March 1, 2027. For already implemented models that do not meet the new criteria, a transition period is provided until September 1, 2032, provided that data is processed on the territory of the Russian Federation.
In my view, this approach demonstrates the regulator's pragmatism: it seeks to stimulate the development of domestic AI solutions without blocking access to global technologies. The exclusion of the most stringent norms—labeling and copyright—indicates an understanding that excessive regulation could slow down innovation. However, the key question remains open: how quickly can Russian companies create competitive "sovereign" models capable of replacing Western counterparts in critically important sectors of the economy and public administration.