Law to ensure certainty of accountability for individuals who have committed crimes while hiding abroad and are not liable for extradition or other transfer to the Russian Federation

Vladimir Putin signed Federal Law On Amendments to Articles 458 and 459 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation.

Kremlin, October 27, 2025

The federal law is intended to ensure the certainty of accountability for individuals who have committed crimes and are hiding abroadand are not liable for extradition or other transfer to the Russian Federation.

In this context, the law clarifies the procedure for conducting criminal proceedings against persons suspected or accused of committing a crime who are located outside the Russian Federation, when it is impossible to carry out procedural actions involving them within Russian territory. In such cases, regardless of the individual’s nationality or the location of the crime committed, the criminal case materials are to be transferred to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation. The Office may, where appropriate, request the competent authorities of a foreign state to prosecute the individual concerned, either in accordance with an international treaty to which the Russian Federation is a party, or on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.

The law also clarifies the terms and procedures for fulfilling requests received from competent authorities of foreign states seeking to initiate or conduct criminal proceedings within the Russian Federation, likewise in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.