State Duma Creates New AI Oversight Committee

Sep. 24, 2026 The State Duma chamber. duma.gov.ru Russia’s lower-house State Duma is creating a new committee to oversee artificial intelligence, e-commerce and drone development, officials announced Thursday. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev confirmed the creation of the Committee on Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence during a joint leadership meeting of the ruling United Russia party. Senior party leader Alexander Sidyakin was named as the chairman of the new committee. Sidyakin’s candidacy to lead the committee was first reported by the newspaper Vedomosti, which said he has previously overseen party initiatives supporting drone projects for the Russian military in Ukraine. The new committee brings together policymaking duties in several emerging technology sectors that were previously divided among different parliamentary committees, according to Vedomosti. Russia’s State Duma will also see the creation of the Committee on Criminal and Administrative Legislation, which will be chaired by United Russia member Yury Petrov. That committee is being carved out of the existing Committee on State Building and Legislation, which has handled up to one-quarter of the lower house of parliament’s bills and works with Kremlin lawyers on key legislation. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, whom Medvedev said President Vladimir Putin nominated to continue in his role as speaker, had pushed to transfer part of the workload of the Committee on State Building and Legislation to another committee. Medvedev said Thursday that United Russia is expected to secure 349 of the 450 seats in the State Duma following parliamentary elections this weekend. Final election results are expected to be announced Friday. Read more about: State Duma , United Russia Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more United Russia Set for Record Parliament Majority in First Wartime Elections With 95% of the ballots counted, Russian election officials said the pro-Kremlin ruling party received 57.83% of the party-list vote. 2 Min read Richest United Russia Candidates Report More Than $103M in Combined Income The combined income of the seven richest United Russia candidates exceeded the annual budgets of several regional capitals. 3 Min read opinion Mikhail Shevchuk How Cancel Culture Works in Russia The debate about how best to punish "incorrect" cultural figures in Russia — that is, those who criticize the war in Ukraine or the Kremlin &mdash... Russia’s Ruling Party Campaigns to Ban 'Propaganda' of Polyamory, Bisexuality – Reports Russia has already banned “gay propaganda” in a law critics say has been used to silence activists and shut down gay pride events.