The Russian government, with the participation of the Ministry of Digital Development, Telecommunications and Mass Media, is considering the possibility of legalizing pirated software in the country.

APA-Economics reports quoting Russian media that this means that there will be no administrative or criminal liability for its use.

The idea is seen as a measure to support Russians in the wake of the mass exodus of popular Russian programmers.

A March 2 "Priority Action Plan to Ensure Russia's Economic Growth in the Face of Foreign Pressure" states that Russia can lift the prosecution of countries that support sanctions against them for using "copyrighted" unlicensed (pirated) software.

According to Kommersant, citing a source familiar with the situation, who did not want to be named, the plan is the result of the work of specialists from a number of Russian agencies.

He did not specify who worked on the document, but noted that Russia has already begun to implement some of the measures outlined there.

Dozens of foreign companies have left Russia in the past few days amid the current geopolitical situation.

Among them is Microsoft, the developer of the world's most popular operating system (Windows) and the most popular office suite ("Office").

Currently, Russian law provides for a number of sanctions for the use of pirated programs in Russia or abroad, regardless of where they are developed.

Depending on the specific situation, the punishment can be both administrative and criminal.