Published on: 2026-10-08
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Tatyana Golikova spoke at the first international conference “Consumer Rights Protection in the Digital Age.”
The first international conference “Protection of Consumer Rights in the Digital Age” has opened in Moscow. The event brought together over 400 leaders and specialized experts from government agencies, the business community, and non-governmental organizations from the EAEU, CIS, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Among the participants were also delegates from UN system international organizations and the executive bodies of the CIS, SCO, and ASEAN. The forum was organized by Rospotrebnadzor with the support of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova read out a greeting from the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. “Russia has established an effective system for protecting consumer rights, fully taking into account the opportunities and challenges brought by the rapid development of digital technologies. The relevant provisions are enshrined in the current strategy of state policy in this area and have been properly reflected in domestic legislation,” noted the head of state in particular.
In her speech, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that today Russia is one of the leaders in shaping the international agenda in the field of consumer rights protection.
“Over eight years of implementing the State Policy Strategy in the field of consumer rights protection for the period until 2030, our country has adopted 17 laws aimed at these goals, and 39 systemic amendments have been made to the basic consumer rights protection law. Since 2019, a single free consultation center operating in three languages has been functioning. In all regions, there are 639 consumer protection consultation centers, based on which Rospotrebnadzor annually conducts over half a million events. About 80% of all legal disputes in Russia are resolved in favor of the consumer. Annually, around 4 billion rubles are successfully returned to affected consumers. Over 10 years, this figure has increased fourfold,” said Tatyana Golikova.
She emphasized that Russian developments were used in the preparation of a number of international documents – Recommendations on the prevention of circulation of known unsafe consumer goods, the Declaration on the resolution of cross-border disputes and compensation for consumers, as well as in the creation of the UN resource – the Global Consumer Protection Map.
An important outcome was the development with direct participation of Russia of global principles for consumer product safety – in December 2025, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution “Consumer Product Safety.” This document enshrined the fundamental principle of ensuring product safety regardless of whether it is sold through traditional means or via electronic commerce. Special attention was given to the cross-border distribution of unsafe products, information exchange, cooperation of competent authorities, and the use of modern technologies. Thus, consumer product safety gained an independent international dimension.
“Even before the adoption of international documents, our country began the practical implementation of digital traceability and product circulation control tools to ensure its safety and quality. In 2025, digital labeling and a permission procedure at cash registers were introduced, registering 1.5 million transactions per second, allowing the tracking of the product’s journey from manufacturer to buyer and providing consumer protection against substandard products,” reported the Vice Premier.
First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Andrey Yatskin, in turn, read out the greeting message from the Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko. “Protecting consumer interests is one of the priority areas in ensuring human rights. The safety of goods and services, the reliability of information received about them, fairness of transaction conditions, and the effectiveness of restoring violated rights are factors that directly affect the quality of people’s lives,” noted the Chairman of the Federation Council in her greeting message.
Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov said in his speech at the opening of the event that by the end of last year, the share of online trade had already exceeded 20%. According to him, it is expected that by 2030, online trade will account for about one third of retail.
“The very logic of consumer rights protection is changing. Now the task of the state, business, and digital platforms is to prevent unfair competition and violations, rather than react after the fact. In other words, risks must be identified as early as possible—at production and logistics stages, when the product appears on the shelf, preventing it from reaching the consumer if it is illegal or unsafe. A state digital marking system, which already covers 52 product groups in either mandatory or pilot mode, helps solve this multi-stage task,” added Anton Alikhanov.
Acting Secretary-General of UNCTAD Pedro Manuel Moreno addressed the conference participants with a video message.
The Minister for Technical Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Alexander Subbotin, also spoke to the participants and guests of the conference. He called the protection of consumer rights an unconditional priority.
“Today, as digital technologies have radically changed our lives, the issues of online commerce security have become most relevant. Our strategic task is to transform these risks into new standards of quality. The digital world must become a space of trust that everyone expects today,” noted Alexander Subbotin.
After the opening remarks, the head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, presented the report “Consumer Rights Protection in the Digital Age: Russia’s Experience.”
The Russian consumer protection system has developed alongside the market economy and has responded to new challenges of the consumer market at every stage. Its legal basis is the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Law of the Russian Federation “On Protection of Consumer Rights,” adopted in 1992.
Judicial protection remains one of the most effective mechanisms for restoring violated rights. Rospotrebnadzor annually participates in over 20,000 court cases to protect consumers, with more than 98% of lawsuits involving the agency being satisfied.
“Over eight years, the number of appeals to Rospotrebnadzor regarding remote sales has increased almost fivefold. At the same time, the increase in appeals cannot be automatically interpreted as a proportional increase in violations: the market itself, the number of transactions, and public awareness have grown. The government’s task is to ensure protection at every stage of the digital transaction: to provide the opportunity to verify the seller and the product, to make the conditions clear, to prevent the sale of hazardous products, and to ensure an effective mechanism for rights restoration,” said Anna Popova.
In conclusion, the head of Rospotrebnadzor noted that three key areas can be identified for the development of consumer rights protection: cross-border cooperation to restore violated rights, prevention of violations through digital technologies, and increasing transparency of algorithms and digital practices. Their comprehensive development will allow the combination of national measures, modern tools, and international cooperation.
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