The Ministry of Justice (Minyust) is a federal executive body responsible for drafting and implementing government policy and legal regulation in its field of competence, including the penal system, registration of non-profit organisations, including branches of international organisations and foreign non-profit non-governmental organisations, political parties, other public associations and religious organisations, the bar and notary system, state registration of vital statistics, compliance of courts with the established operating procedure and implementation of court decisions and enactments by other agencies, free legal and legal literacy assistance to the public, as well as law-enforcement and control powers in the field of registration of non-profit organisations, including the branches of international organisations and foreign non-profit non-governmental organisations, political parties, other public associations and religious organisations, control of compliance of non-profit organisations’ activities to their charter goals and the legislation of the Russian Federation, control and oversight of the bar and notary system and state registration of vital statistics.

The President of the Russian Federation oversees the activity of the Ministry of Justice.