Foreign companies running online services for users in Russia — platforms, gaming and betting operators, IT and payment services — increasingly receive a Roskomnadzor notice: a formal letter or portal message citing the “landing law” (236-FZ) on the presence of foreign IT companies in Russia, or a blocking notice tied to unlicensed access. These follow different rules and deadlines from a police or court request, and getting the response wrong can mean your website is blocked in Russia while your legal team abroad is still translating the letter.
What we do
- Notice review and translation: we review the Roskomnadzor notice or portal message, translate it, and explain in plain English what is being asked, by which deadline, and what happens if you do nothing.
- 236-FZ compliance assessment: we assess where your company stands against the requirements of the Russian landing law — audience thresholds, registration obligations, and what a foreign IT company operating in Russia is expected to do — and what the practical exposure is if it does not comply.
- Filing and correspondence: preparing and submitting responses, registrations and other required filings to Roskomnadzor on your instruction.
- Blocking and unblocking matters: where a website is blocked in Russia over an alleged violation, we review the basis for the blocking notice and support you in disputing it through the applicable procedure, where a dispute is realistically available.
- Ongoing notice monitoring: for platforms that receive recurring correspondence, we track notices and deadlines and flag anything time-sensitive.
How it works
- You forward the notice or portal message as received.
- We confirm what it actually requires and by when, and flag anything that looks procedurally irregular.
- We send you a short memo in English: what is being asked, the deadline, and our recommendation.
- On your instruction, we draft and file the response in Russian and confirm delivery, or support a challenge to the notice.
What we don’t do
We are honest about the limits of what correspondence can achieve. Under 236-FZ, a foreign company operating online services in Russia is generally expected to have its own local legal entity or branch, or a designated representative office, depending on its activity. We do not replace that entity, act as its substitute, or represent that filing a response removes the underlying requirement to establish a local presence where the law calls for one. We handle the correspondence, filings and documents on your instruction, and we tell you plainly when the law requires a local presence we cannot provide instead.
Who this is for
- Foreign IT, platform, gaming and betting companies with a Russian audience that have received a Roskomnadzor notice;
- Legal and compliance teams assessing 236-FZ exposure before a notice arrives;
- Companies whose website or service has been blocked in Russia and want a considered view on whether unblocking is realistic.
If the correspondence you received is instead from police, investigators, a court or a bailiff, see verification of Russian authority requests.
FAQ
We received a Roskomnadzor notice — does ignoring it make the problem go away?
No. Notices under the landing law carry deadlines, and non-response is itself treated as a compliance failure that can lead to blocking or other restrictions.
Can you make us fully compliant with 236-FZ without us setting up a legal entity in Russia?
Not where the law requires a local entity or representative for your type of activity — we say so directly rather than promise a shortcut. We handle the parts that do not require that presence and are clear about what remains outstanding.
Our website was blocked in Russia — can it be unblocked?
Sometimes, if the blocking was based on a mistaken or outdated basis, or if compliance steps address the underlying cause. We review the specific notice before giving a view on whether unblocking is realistic.
Do you act as our local representative in Russia under the landing law?
We do not act as a substitute local legal entity or branch where the law requires one. We can advise on and assist with setting one up, and separately handle correspondence and filings on your instruction.
How quickly do you respond to a notice with a short deadline?
We prioritise time-sensitive notices and can turn around a review and draft response within the deadline in most cases — tell us the date on the notice when you send it.
Get started
Pricing is on request, scoped to the specific notice or compliance review. Send the notice or a description of your situation to law@vfs.consulting or use the contact form. We reply within one business day.
