A major change is taking effect in Russia for civil servants and lawmakers: they will no longer be required to file annual declarations of income and property. The package of laws providing for this was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 28 and published on the official legal information portal.
Under the new laws, while the routine annual declaration practice is being abolished, oversight will not disappear entirely. Instead, officials will continue to submit financial disclosures in specific situations. In particular, a declaration will still be required when entering public service for the first time, being appointed to a new position, being transferred to another post, or being added to the personnel reserve.
The law also requires officials to report significant changes in their financial situation. For example, if a civil servant’s family purchases housing or other high-value property worth more than the family’s total income over the past three years, this must be reported.
Checks of officials’ income and assets will now be carried out through a dedicated online system called “Poseidon.” It is integrated with databases of Russia’s Tax Service, Rosfinmonitoring, Rosreestr, the traffic police (GIBDD), and other state agencies. Officials say the system is intended to reduce human-factor influence and automate oversight.
The law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026. The bills were submitted to the State Duma on December 10 and passed in the second and third readings on December 18. On December 24, they were approved by the Federation Council.
For context, Russian officials have been required to declare income and property annually since 1995. However, in February 2023 a law was adopted to publish information about deputies and senators only in aggregated form. Under it, open sources do not show surnames, exact amounts, or lists of real estate—only brief information on whether a declaration was filed and whether it contains errors.
Experts view the change as a new stage in Russia’s approach to government transparency. Some believe it centralizes oversight, while others link it to weaker public scrutiny. Either way, starting in 2026, Russia’s officials’ declaration system will operate in a completely new format.
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