To enter Russia for any purpose, a U.S. citizen must possess a valid U.S. passport and a bona fide visa issued by a Russian Embassy or Consulate. It is impossible to obtain an entry visa upon arrival, so travelers must apply for their visas well in advance.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Russia, but is not used due to a moratorium and no death sentences or executions have been carried out since 2 August 1996.

By 11 November 2022, the Institute for the Study of War calculated that Ukrainian forces had liberated an area of 74,443 km² (28,743 sq mi) from Russian occupation, leaving Russia with control of about 18% of Ukraine's territory.

Russia is categorized as a Consolidated Authoritarian regime in Nations in Transit 2024, Freedom House's annual study on the state of democracy in the region stretching from Central Europe to Central Asia.