The Federation Council held a meeting on 21 September 2026 to discuss access to veterinary care for pets. Participants included representatives of the upper house of parliament, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rosselkhoznadzor, the Ministry of Natural Resources, regional authorities, public institutions, industry associations and businesses.

The discussion covered the cost of veterinary care, common standards for veterinary services, clinic licensing, pet insurance and vaccine production in Russia. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Russia has more than 9,000 veterinary clinics, nearly 70% of them privately owned.

Mandatory federal pet registration was another focus. The National Pet Industry Association (NPIA) has advocated such a system for several years. Lawmakers submitted a bill requiring pet registration and identification to the State Duma on 29 September 2025. In January 2026, the relevant committee recommended that the Duma adopt it at its first reading, but consideration of the bill was postponed.

At the meeting, NPIA President Kirill Dmitriev called for the urgent introduction of a single, mandatory federal government system for registering pets.

“We need a single, mandatory federal government system for registering pets. Only Rosselkhoznadzor can create and operate such a system. But for it to work in practice, the agency needs additional powers and funding,” Dmitriev said.

He also called for clearer divisions of responsibility among the Ministry of Agriculture, Rosselkhoznadzor and the Ministry of Natural Resources in regulating pet ownership and care.

Dmitriev said existing regional systems do not yet provide a complete picture of the pet population. He cited the Moscow Region, where around 56,000 dogs and cats are registered, against an estimated population of more than 4.5 million. That puts registration coverage at just over 1%.

Dmitriev also considers federal registration necessary for monitoring vaccination. He previously estimated annual demand for pet vaccines at around 20 million doses and said no more than 30% of pets receive vaccinations. In his view, a single system would make it possible to assess vaccination coverage more accurately, particularly for mandatory rabies vaccination.

The meeting’s proposals are expected to be recommended to regional authorities and included in a report to the Federation Council leadership.