Abstract
<jats:p>The article examines the constitutional and legal substance of the Russian language as the state language of the Russian Federation after the 2020 constitutional reform. It analyzes the provisions of Article 68 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Federal Law “On the State Language of the Russian Federation,” the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation,” as well as strategic planning documents reflecting the contemporary understanding of the role of the Russian language within the system of Russian statehood. Particular attention is paid to the expansion of the spheres in which the use of the Russian language is mandatory, including recent amendments to consumer protection legislation, as well as to the relationship between the state language and migration-law and citizenship-law institutions. The article substantiates the conclusion that, in contemporary legal regulation, the Russian language functions not only as a means of official communication, but also as an independent element of the constitutional and legal status of the Russian Federation. It proposes a distinction between mandatory, mixed, and discretionary regimes of language regulation and raises the question of the limits of public-law intervention in the language sphere from the standpoint of the constitutional principle of proportionality.</jats:p>