The Russian veterinary drug market is shifting to a mode of total digital transparency. According to the press service of Rosselkhoznadzor, the agency, leveraging data from the state labeling system “Chestny Znak”, has automatically identified over 950 business entities selling animal medicines without the required license. This large-scale monitoring became possible following the completion of the database integration between the two agencies in November 2025.
Automatic Audit of Every Sale
The technical integration of Rosselkhoznadzor’s licensing database and the “Chestny Znak” system has fundamentally changed the mechanics of state control. Verification of a seller’s legality now occurs in real-time.
With every transaction (sale of a labeled veterinary drug), the system automatically cross-references the seller’s data against the current registry of licenses. If a point of sale lacks a valid pharmaceutical license, the system instantly flags the violation. This eliminates the human factor and allows for total, rather than selective, market supervision.
Administrative Consequences and Market Reaction
The supervisory authority has already moved from monitoring to active enforcement. Based on the identified violations, 146 protocols on administrative offenses have been drawn up under Part 2 of Article 14.1 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation (Entrepreneurial activity without a special permit/license).
Additionally, the regulator issued 278 formal warnings. The business reaction has been twofold:
- Some entrepreneurs, upon receiving a warning, initiated the legalization procedure and applied for a pharmaceutical license.
- Other retail outlets, unprepared to operate within the legal framework, ceased operations and closed down.
Legal Context
According to Federal Law No. 99-FZ “On Licensing Certain Types of Activities,” the retail sale of medicinal products for veterinary use is classified as pharmaceutical activity and requires mandatory licensing. Selling drugs without permits is a direct violation of the law and poses risks to animal health, as unlicensed outlets often fail to comply with storage conditions for medications.
The integration of Rosselkhoznadzor and CRPT (“Chestny Znak”) sets a precedent for the digital “whitening” of the market. The ability to trace the legality of the entire supply chain—from manufacturer to end seller—makes “gray” operations technically impossible and economically risky for businesses.
