In accordance with guiding principle e), the Russian Federation fully complies with its obligations under Article 36 of the AP I. We consider it a norm of customary international law. This Article has no provisions on how exactly legal reviews should be conducted, and does not impose an obligation on States to make their results public, nor to provide anyone with information on the subject. In the Russian Federation, the legal review of armaments is carried out within the framework of national procedures that help, on the basis of the existing legal and regulatory framework, ensure proper control over compliance with the requirements of Article 36 of the AP I.
Article 7 of the Federal Law No. 275-FZ dated 29 December 2012 “On the State Defense Order” includes, among the main responsibilities of the state customer, the organization and conduct of tests of prototypes (complexes, systems) of weapons, military and special hardware, military property, preparation of documents for their adoption, as well as approval of technical documentation required for their development and mass production. Prototypes are assessed for such characteristics as distinction, “no-excessive-damage”, etc., which should guarantee potential compliance of future weapons with IHL norms.
Working Paper of the Russian Federation: National Implementation of the Guiding Principles on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (September 2020) 3-4
