Circulation of Cultural Objects in Russian Law – An Overview
Circulation of Cultural Objects in Russian Law – An Overview

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to offer an introduction to the Russian Federation’s cultural property legislation. More precisely, this article focuses on the civil and criminal law provisions for cultural property acquisition, commerce, and protection. First it offers an overview of the definition of cultural valuables, its status under Russia’s legislation, and its commercial turnover. It explains that cultural valuables constitute “res commercium”, with free commercial circulation within the territory of the State, i.e. it is not “res extra commercium”, albeit its legal status demonstrates it is subject to certain restrictions concerning the import and export of cultural property. It further outlines recent amendments to the Law on the export and import of cultural goods and explores the construction of inheritance funds as a potential option for managing cultural property and art collections.

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