Russia expands 'unfriendly countries' policy into courts and family law

Russia's designation of so-called unfriendly countries is being applied more broadly inside the country, reaching domestic courts, family law, property rights and financial obligations. The policy, first formalised in March 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was originally presented as a response to states that imposed sanctions or other restrictions on Moscow. New examples now show it influencing decisions that go beyond trade and diplomacy.

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The latest reporting says the list covers the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand and European Union member states. This autumn, the Russian government nearly doubled import duties on spirits from unfriendly countries, raising the rate from 20% to 35%, with European and North American producers among those most affected. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said the placement of foreign companies' Russian assets under temporary administration was directly linked to whether their home countries were on the list.

The policy's reach has now extended into the courts. Russia's Supreme Court cited the unfriendly countries designation in a child custody dispute, ruling that returning a child to France could run counter to her interests in part because France appears on the list. In the case described, Russian citizen Alexei Ermakov took his daughter on a two-week holiday to Turkey and Slovakia with the consent of her mother, Ukrainian citizen Anna Tishkova, before bringing the child to Russia in April 2025.

He later arranged Russian citizenship for the girl, and the court declined to order her return to France. The development matters because it suggests a sanctions-era policy is becoming embedded in domestic legal and administrative practice. That creates wider uncertainty for foreign companies, property owners and families with cross-border ties, especially where Russian courts or regulators treat nationality and state designation as relevant to private disputes.

It also shows how measures introduced as retaliation after the invasion of Ukraine are now shaping everyday legal outcomes inside Russia. The economic effects are already visible in the treatment of foreign assets and imports. The temporary administration of Russian assets belonging to foreign companies has affected the local operations of Nestlé, Auchan, FM Logistic, Leroy Merlin, Metro Cash & Carry, Tarkett and Japan Tobacco International, among others.

A separate bill backed in the State Duma would allow vehicles stolen or illegally exported from unfriendly countries to be registered in Russia, with supporters arguing that legal gaps have emerged because cooperation with Western states has broken down. There are also signs that the policy is being tested in other legal settings. In one separate case, the Supreme Court ordered the Interior Ministry to register a vehicle flagged in an international database at Canada's request, saying that inclusion in a stolen-vehicle register was not by itself enough to refuse registration.

It remains unclear how far the unfriendly countries designation will be extended in future rulings or legislation, and whether further cases will confirm a broader shift in Russian courts and ministries. What to watch next is whether the policy continues to move from foreign policy into family law, property disputes and financial regulation.

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