Legal Regulation of the Use of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles in the Russian Federation

The subject of this article is the issue of the legal regulation of civil unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) in the Russian Federation (RF). Currently, there is an active discussion in the RF and, as a result, the adoption of regulations to manage issues related to the use of UAVs. This article deals with the definition of the concept of an unmanned aircraft, and the gradation of UAVs and their legal regulation depending on the assignment to particular categories, such as military or civil groups, weight class, etc. State accounting and state registration of UAVs issues are scrutinized in this article, as well as the organization of flights. The article also presents comparisons with the legislation of other countries, primarily Poland, as a member of the European Union, as well as the USA, Australia. In addition, the article contains regulations that are not currently being enforced, but will be in the near future and the themes of legislation that will be the subject of consideration among business community representatives, and the state regulator for the subsequent introduction of draft laws up for deliberation. Thus, the article is not only an analysis of the current legislation, but also an exploration of the trends on the issue of upcoming UAV regulations in the RF. This will be of interest to UAV owners and to lawyers to analyze the matter of using UAVs under Russian law.