43. Are there limits on the amount that third parties can spend on election campaign activities?

Art. 69 - "5. Political parties which nominated their federal lists of candidates, candidates, proxies, authorized agents (including authorized financial agents) of political parties and their regional branches as well as organizations founded after the commencement of the election campaign, if the said persons or political parties are founders, owners or members of bodies thereof, shall not engage in charity activities during the election campaign. Other individuals and legal entities shall not engage in charity activities during the election campaign at the request, at the direction or on behalf of the said political parties, candidates, proxies and authorized agents; neither shall they campaign during the charity activities. The said political parties, candidates, proxies and authorized agents shall not make proposals to other individuals or legal entities to provide material, financial aid or services to voters."

Art. 73 - "6. Citizens and legal entities shall be entitled to provide financial support to a political party exclusively through its electoral fund. It shall be prohibited to render paid services, do paid work or sell/purchase goods if such activities directly or indirectly pertain to elections of deputies of the State Duma and seek certain election results unless they are paid out of a respective electoral fund with a duly documented consent of an authorized financial agent of the political party, its regional chapter, candidate. No cash shall be used for the settlement of accounts between a political party, its regional branch and a legal entity for the said work (services), for the said goods.

7. Legal entities, their branches, representations or other subdivisions shall be prohibited to do work (render services) free of charge or at a price below (or above) normal pricing, if such work (services) directly or indirectly pertain to elections of deputies of the State Duma and seek certain election results. Material support to a political party, a candidate if seeking a certain election results, shall not be provided unless it is compensated for at the expense of a respective electoral fund."

Source: Articles 69 (5), 73 (6) and (7), Federal Law on Elections of Deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, 2014

Art. 56 - "5. Candidates, their agents and authorized representatives for financial issues, political parties, their agents and authorized representatives as well as any organizations registered upon commencement of the election campaign with the specified persons and/or political parties as their founders, owners and/or members of management bodies (or members of the bodies managing the affairs of organizations with the general meeting as the supreme management body) shall not be entitled to perform any charity work during the election campaign period. No other persons or legal entities shall be entitled to perform any charity work at the request, upon instruction or on behalf of the specified candidates, political parties, agents and authorized representatives, or engage in election campaigning and perform charity work at the same time. The specified candidates, political parties, agents and authorized representatives shall be forbidden to apply to any other persons and legal entities with an offer to provide material or financial support or services to voters."

Source: Articles 56 (5), Federal Law on the Presidential Elections in the Russian Federation, 2002