Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a resolution to ban the export of whales, dolphins and porpoises from Russia. According to the Russian government press service, the restrictions will be in effect for six months. Amendments have been made to the federal laws On the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Russian Federation and On Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources, which ban the commercial catch of marine mammals. A resolution was also adopted that toughened the requirements to obtain permission for catching marine mammals for educational and cultural purposes.

“The main goal is to protect the population of marine mammals, which are in great demand abroad. For example, they are popular in the entertainment sector – at aquariums and dolphinariums,” the government press service said in a statement published on 20 August 2021.

The Ministry of Economic Development was also instructed to submit to the Eurasian Economic Commission a proposal to put a temporary ban on the export of marine mammals from the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

The press service noted that the issue of establishing a permanent ban on the export of cetaceans outside the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union would also be worked out at the EAEU level.

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Government to improve the legislation in response to the public outcry over the events in the Primorye Territory’s Srednyaya Bay, where 11 killer whales and 90 belugas were kept for sale to Chinese aquariums. The efforts of the public, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation revealed that the animals were caught illegally, with numerous violations of the law. Criminal and administrative cases were initiated. The release of the animals from the “whale prison” began at the end of June 2019. They were sent by lorry and by boat to their place of catch in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Subsequently, the release plan was changed due to worsening weather.

On 10 November 2019, specialists completed the release of the last group of animals remaining in Srednyaya Bay.