The efforts to combat cybercrime must remain under parliamentary oversight at all times, the Federation Council Deputy Speaker says.
Deputy Federation Council Speaker Konstantin Kosachev delivered remarks at the seminar, UN convention against cybercrime: Parliamentary prospects for ratification and implementation. The event took place as part of the 152nd IPU Assembly in Istanbul.
According to the Federation Council Deputy Speaker, now is the time when every effort to combat cybercrime must be overseen by the parliamentarians. “Most of the work has been completed: the UN Convention has been developed and signed, and we are now entering a very long and complex ratification process for it to enter into force. In most countries, ratification is a direct constitutional responsibility of parliaments. From this perspective, we would benefit from meeting and exchanging experience on the passage of ratification laws in national parliaments,” Konstantin Kosachev said.
The senator noted that the Russian Federation initiated the drafting and adoption at the UN of a universal legally binding treaty in the field of international information security.
“We strongly oppose the Western countries’ monopoly and arbitrariness in the digital space, interference in internal affairs, and violations of sovereignty in cyberspace, as well as cyberattacks. The recently adopted UN Convention is designed to put an end to all this,” the parliamentarian said.
According to him, once ratified, the Convention will open the door to incorporating new legislative standards in combatting ICT-related crime. “Russia has already initiated this process; documents that must be submitted to the parliament, including verification of the Convention’s text for compliance with our national legislation, are being prepared. The draft federal law on ratification will be submitted to the parliament before the 2026 runs out,” Konstantin Kosachev said, adding that the Russian Federation will ratify the Convention, but with significant reservations, since not all provisions of the document are in line with Russia’s interests, laws, and law enforcement practices. “Our reservations will not be politically motivated, and all comments will be of a legal nature. We will try to be flexible when adapting the Convention to Russia’s legal system,” the legislator said.
Konstantin Kosachev proposed using a systematic approach to involving parliamentarians in the processes related to the UN Convention on cybercrime. In particular, he suggested holding regular events on cybercrime within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, such as workshops, round table discussions, and other formats, including under the auspices of the subject-matter IPU committee. The senator also proposed initiating the inclusion of a “parliamentary segment” in the rules of procedure for future Conferences of States Parties to the Convention, as provided for in Article 57 of the Convention. To this end, the IPU should file a corresponding request to the UN.
Such an approach would elevate interaction between the IPU and the UN to a new level, ensure systematic participation of parliamentarians in the implementation of the Convention, and maintain dialogue up to its entry into force, Konstantin Kosachev said in closing.
Within the framework of the 152nd IPU Assembly in Istanbul, a number of events with the participation of senators were held.
In particular, Head of the Federation Council group for cooperation with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Murat Khapsirokov met with a Grand National Assembly member and coordinator of the parliamentary friendship group with Russia Murat Baybatur. The meeting was attended by Senator Artur Kokhoev and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Türkiye Sergey Vershinin.
According to Murat Khapsirokov, the talks were constructive, and the parties discussed bilateral issues. “We paid special attention to promoting interregional cooperation. Following the meeting, a plan for further actions aimed at strengthening ties between the regions of Russia and Türkiye and implementing joint projects was outlined. Mutual interest in expanding dialogue was confirmed, and readiness for active cooperation in all identified areas was expressed.”
Artur Kokhoev worked in the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development. The senator participated in drafting amendments to the resolution entitled “Building a fair and sustainable global economy: The role of parliamentarians in combatting protectionism, reducing tariffs, and preventing corporate tax evasion.” According to the parliamentarian, a number of Russian initiatives were upheld (several amendments from the delegation were adopted by the committee).
According to the senator, new centres of economic growth and political influence emerging worldwide are forming independently of the Western attempts to maintain dominant positions. The legislator noted that the IPU enjoyed considerable authority in the international community. “We welcome the organisation’s broad participation in addressing global economic development challenges,” the senator said.
First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Vladimir Chizhov commented on the adoption of the IPU resolution “The role of parliaments in creating reliable mechanisms for post-conflict governance and restoring a just and lasting peace.” According to him, the document could have gone down in the history of parliamentary diplomacy as an outstanding, substantive, and forward-looking text. However, this did not happen, as, at the initiative of the geopolitical Group of 12+ and Ukraine, it became full of politicised provisions that often went beyond the semantic scope of the document. “The Russian side thanks the co-rapporteurs for their constructive and objective approach to preparing the draft document. Unfortunately, despite the fact that during the coordination of the text the co-rapporteurs repeatedly emphasised the importance of preserving the consensual nature of the document, highlighted the need to avoid a narrowly regional approach to achieving and restoring peace, insisted on the universal nature of the Resolution’s provisions, and called for avoiding bias when mentioning regional conflicts, their approaches and proposals were ignored,” the senator said noting that Russian parliamentarians will continue to work consistently to convey our country’s position on international platforms.