Russia Curbs Automatic Consumer Penalties, Sets Higher Fines for Forced Add‑Ons

Overview

• President Vladimir Putin signed amendments removing the automatic 50% court‑imposed fine when unmet consumer demands stem from the consumer’s actions or a supplier’s breach, unless the seller chose the counterparty dishonestly or unreasonably.
• Pre‑trial mediation shields businesses from the 50% sanction if an agreement was reached before a lawsuit, except when the agreement was not fulfilled due to the manufacturer or seller.
• Courts gain tools to keep penalties proportionate, including a bar on assigning penalty claims to non‑consumers before a final judgment, a cap limiting penalty amounts to the price paid, and authority to reduce clearly excessive sums.
• For returns of technically complex goods of inadequate quality, compensation may cover the price gap to a comparable item at the time of voluntary satisfaction, with a different formula applied if the buyer was misled about specifications.
• Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said fines for imposing paid add‑on services will rise from January 9, 2026, to as much as 150,000 rubles for officials and 500,000 rubles for companies, while Cabinet‑set special rules for certain goods begin February 1, 2026.