Still operating in Moscow? Specialist advice before any event activity.
Moscow is included in this platform because corporate event enquiries continue to arrive from organisations with Russia operations, despite the current advisory environment. The honest and accurate assessment is that corporate event planning in Moscow for Western-connected organisations is a high-risk activity at present.
The current advisory position
FCDO advises against all travel to Russia. The State Department advises against all travel to Russia. Most European governments advise against all travel. These advisories exist for specific documented reasons: the war in Ukraine, the risk of detention of Western nationals, sanctions enforcement risk, and the general deterioration in the rule of law environment for foreign businesses.
If you are operating in Moscow
Some organisations continue to operate in Russia: companies with Russia-domiciled entities, organisations with specific compliance obligations, and individuals with family or contractual necessity. If you are in this category, specialist security advice is not optional.
The primary security risk in Moscow for Western executives is not conventional crime or terrorism. It is detention by Russian authorities, data exfiltration by FSB surveillance operations, and commercial dispute escalation into criminal proceedings. These are state-actor risk categories that require specialist advisory rather than standard event security provision.
What we provide for Moscow
We do not operate a standard vetted operator referral service for Moscow given the current environment. We provide specialist pre-deployment advisory covering legal risk, communications security, device hygiene, and exit planning. Any organisation planning corporate event activity in Moscow should begin with a legal opinion from Russia-specialist counsel alongside a security assessment. For the wider security picture, see our Moscow city security briefing, and our event security service for how we structure protective coverage.
What does event security in Moscow cover?
Travel Advisory Review
FCDO, State Dept, and EU member state advisories uniformly advise against all travel to Russia. Any corporate event activity in Moscow must be assessed against these advisories and the specific risk profile of the attending executives.
Detention and Legal Risk
Wrongful detention of foreign nationals is an active and documented risk in Russia. Executives from Western companies face specific legal risk from sanctions enforcement, espionage allegations, and commercial disputes. This is the primary security risk for most Western executives in Moscow.
Communications Security
Russia's FSB maintains extensive surveillance capability. All communications should be treated as potentially monitored. Devices brought into Russia carry data exfiltration risk. TSCM (Technical Surveillance Countermeasures) sweep for sensitive meeting locations.
Physical Security
Conventional close protection for principals. Moscow's physical crime risk is moderate; the primary security concern for Western executives is not street crime but state-actor risk, detention risk, and commercial dispute escalation.
Exit Planning
Reliable and vetted exit routes from Moscow for all principal attendees. Flight disruption (Western carriers have suspended Russia routes), land border options, and emergency extraction planning.
Sanctions Compliance Review
Corporate event activity in Moscow may create sanctions exposure for Western companies. This is a legal and security risk category that must be assessed before any event engagement.
Vetted operators. Local knowledge. Proven protocols.
Sources for this page
Licensing, firearms and foreign-operator rules for Moscow, checked : Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Federal Law of 30 November 2024 No. 427-FZ on Private Security Activity, official text; Security Professional (spmag.ru), new private security law in force from 1 September 2026, Rosgvardiya licences (27 September 2026); ConsultantPlus, Law No. 2487-1 of 11 March 1992, current text with the private security sections repealed. The full rules are on our Moscow security overview.
Travel advice quoted on this page: FCDO travel advice: Russia; US State Department travel advisory: Russia. Advice changes; read the current version before travel.