Flying a drone in Russia: the regulations guide

1 · The open category

Russia does not apply the European regulation. The Air Code (art. 33) subjects civilian drones of 0.15 to 30 kg to a state accounting by Rosaviatsia, according to rules of the Government (resolution 658 of 25 May 2019); above 30 kg, full registration applies. The FAP (resolution 138 of 11 March 2010) sets the rules for the use of airspace.

• ▸Flight without a flight plan or authorisation (item 52³): visual-line-of-sight flights of drones of 30 kg or less, below 150 m and at least 30 km from aerodrome reference points (5 km from landing areas), outside prohibited, restricted and special zones; below 100 m between 10 and 30 km from aerodromes (2 to 5 km from landing areas). Excluded are places of State protection measures, public events and official sports competitions.
• ▸Above built-up areas (item 49): permission from the local authority (in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sevastopol: from executive authorities), except for a drone under 0.25 kg; the Rosaviatsia portal writes 0.15 kg at this point.
• ▸Drone flight zones : established by the Ministry of Transport (order 236 of 8 July 2024, valid until 1 November 2026), published in the AIP.
• ▸Border strip : 25 km wide; flights there require a flight plan, authorisation and radio contact with control.
• ▸Minimum age : not stated in the sources consulted.

2 · Zones: bans and restrictions

No public map of drone zones is indicated in the sources consulted. The bvs.favt.ru portal offers registration and flight plan filing via the SPPI system of the Госкорпорация по ОрВД; the AIP (Центр аэронавигационной информации) gives the drone flight zones and the restriction zones, as PDFs. In 2024 Rosaviatsia counted: 60 drone flight zones, 1,725 flight restriction zones, 673 prohibited zones.

• ▸Regional bans : a presidential ukaz of 19 October 2022 (757) creates regional operational headquarters; governors ban the use of civilian drones through dated regional acts, for example in the Kostroma region from 7 to 10 May 2025 (act of 6 May 2025, 67) and in Kuzbass from 11 to 14 September 2025 (act of 5 September 2025, 140-пг); in Yakutia, a ukaz of 29 September 2026 amends the procedure for the headquarters’ authorisation of flights.

⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Russia’s regulations: the flight plan service of the Госкорпорация по ОрВД and the AIP prevail, to be checked before every flight — see the coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, exam and insurance

• ▸Registration: within 10 working days of purchase or import (before use for a self-built drone), by post, via Gosuslugi or via the Rosaviatsia portal; processing takes 10 working days; free (administrative regulation, item 21). The registration number is affixed to the drone. The text of 658 is valid until 1 March 2028. According to the portal’s official FAQ, a drone under 150 g is not registered; the English version writes 250 g.
• ▸Insurance: the Air Code (art. 131) makes third-party liability insurance mandatory for the owner of an aircraft; its application to small drones is not specified in the sources consulted.

4 · FPV and night flying

The FAP requires visual-line-of-sight (VLOS) flight for the exemption of item 52³; no FPV rule or night rule in force is indicated in the consolidated text consulted (the “daytime” condition of former item 52 was repealed in 2023).

5 · Before every flight

• ▸Drone from 150 g to 30 kg: free registration within 10 working days.
• ▸Visual-line-of-sight flight, below 150 m, 30 km from aerodromes; local authority permission above built-up areas.
• ▸Check the regional bans (governors’ acts) and the AIP.

This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. When in doubt: Rosaviatsia (the Federal Air Transport Agency).

6 · Penalties: what the law says

The Code of Administrative Offences provides for:

• ▸Art. 11.4, part 1 : breach by an airspace user of the federal rules: from 20,000 to 50,000 roubles for a citizen; from 100,000 to 150,000 for an official; from 250,000 to 300,000 for a legal entity (or suspension of activity for up to 90 days).
• ▸Art. 11.4, part 2 : use of airspace by an unauthorised person: from 30,000 to 50,000 roubles for a citizen.
• ▸Art. 11.5, part 5 : piloting an aircraft that is unregistered, not accounted for or without an identification mark: from 2,000 to 2,500 roubles for the commander, or deprivation of the right to pilot for up to one year.

No article of the Code of Administrative Offences or of the Criminal Code names drones in the texts consulted; the Rosaviatsia portal refers to article 11.4. The text of the law prevails, not this page.

7 · Your responsibility, and what Glydar does

Glydar informs; it exempts from nothing. This guide draws on official sources but is not itself an official source, does not guarantee that they are exhaustive or up to date, and does not constitute authorisation to fly.

The remote pilot remains solely responsible for the flight and for compliance, as the terms of use recall. Everything needed to check is within reach: the coverage, country by country, the official map and the texts cited below.