Name and Fatherland: companies have become more likely to use the word "Russia" in their names

Business has become more likely to include the word "Russia" in company names, Izvestia found out. To register a legal entity with the official name of the country or its derivatives, a permit from the Ministry of Justice and payment of a state fee of 80 thousand rubles are required. In 2025, budget revenues for this item increased by one and a half times. Experts attribute the increased interest in such names to the trend towards import substitution and the desire to emphasize the federal scale. An additional factor is the expansion of the public sector: last year, assets of more than 3 trillion rubles passed into the ownership of the Russian Federation. What obligations and risks are borne by companies with a "state" name and how difficult it is to obtain such a permit — in the Izvestia article.

Which business can use the word "Russia" in its name

In the Russian Federation, the use of the words "Russia", "Russian Federation" and derivatives (for example, with the prefix "Ros") in the name of legal entities is possible only after payment of the state duty. Its size is 80 thousand rubles.

In 2025, budget revenues for this item increased. By December, the treasury had received about 1.5 million, 1.5 times more than in the same period of 2024, according to data from the Federal Tax Service, which was studied by Izvestia.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

The increase in fees is associated with an increase in the number of organizations that meet the requirements for including such words in the brand name, explained Elena Grin, Deputy Head of the Department of Intellectual Property Rights at MGUA. According to her, an additional factor could be increased control by the supervisory authorities, which led to more requests for permits.

Business interest in "state-owned" names may be explained by the trend towards import substitution and the desire to emphasize the federal scale and importance of the company, says Alexandra Koroleva, a member of the Russian Bar Association. At the same time, the amount of revenue remains small, so we are talking more about the increased activity of large businesses that are able to meet strict legal conditions.

Another reason could be the expansion of the public sector in 2025, says Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global. According to open data, assets of more than 3.1 trillion rubles have been transferred to state ownership, 4.5 times more than a year earlier. This has created the prerequisites for an increase in the number of companies using the word "Russia" in their names.

In addition, the state or large companies got the assets of foreign players who left the market, the expert noted. She recalled that such a name can only be used by organizations with a state share in the capital of at least 25%, the status of a major taxpayer and branches in at least half of the country's regions.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Anna Selina

Also, against the background of a slowing economy, many private companies sold controlling or blocking stakes to government agencies, gaining a strategic investor and the right to use "Russia" in the name, Natalia Milchakova added.

According to the Trading Analytical Solutions Systems (STAR) service, which was analyzed by Izvestia, in 2025 more than 300 legal entities with the words "Russia" or derivatives were registered. Among the examples are Soyuzmash of Russia, Ros-Engineering and Windows of Russia in the Kherson region.

Izvestia sent requests to the Federal Tax Service and the Ministry of Justice.

Why do I need a state fee for using the country name?

The procedure for obtaining the right to use the official name of the country remains complicated and strictly regulated, said Alexandra Koroleva from the AYR. The permit is issued by the Ministry of Justice, which carefully checks the company for compliance with the criteria set by the government.

Companies that have received a permit, in addition to the one-time payment of a state fee of 80 thousand rubles, do not incur additional regular fees. However, according to the lawyer, they assume reputational and legal risks. If the organization ceases to meet the requirements in the future, the right to use the word "Russia" in the name may be revoked. This will lead to a forced renaming through the court and a change in the constituent documents.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

The first law on this topic appeared back in 1993 and actually served as a way to replenish the budget through payments from companies using such words. At that time, almost any business structure could use this right, but over time the requirements became significantly stricter, said Dmitry Zavyalov, Dean of the Faculty of Higher School of Economics and Business at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.

In addition, Russia also prohibits the inclusion of official names of foreign states, authorities, and public associations in the names of legal entities. Registration authorities have the right to refuse registration or require a name change if it violates the law, Yaroslav Kabakov, Director of Strategy at Finam IC, reminded.

The licensing procedure and special duty were introduced to prevent the uncontrolled commercialization of the very word "Russia" and misleading consumers, Alexandra Koroleva emphasized. According to her, the authorities limit the range of organizations that can associate themselves with Russia, so that only economically stable and significant companies for the country carry such names. This serves as a kind of filter against one-day firms and unscrupulous market participants.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Konstantin Kokoshkin

The lawyer clarified: this mechanism cannot be considered as protection of a brand or an object of copyright.: The words "Russia" and "Russian Federation" do not refer to intellectual property. The norms of constitutional and civil law apply here, aimed at protecting public interests and the prestige of the state.