September 13, 2023

Thumbs Up!


Thumbs Up!
Ready to get emoji-onal? Wu Yi, Unsplash.

The Fifteenth Arbitration Appellate Court in Rostov-on-Don has upheld an initial court's ruling that the "thumbs-up" emoji serves as legal confirmation, tantamount to a signature on an agreement.

In March 2022, entrepreneur Siranush Harutyunyan finalized a R685,000 purchase (about $7,000) with another entrepreneur, Rodion Rudenko, for a mobile trading kiosk in the form of a retro van. The contract stipulated that the kiosk's color scheme required mutual approval through an additional agreement. Harutyunyan paid a R479,000 deposit, with the balance due before delivery. The contract also recognized the legal validity of documents exchanged via email or communication platforms, including WhatsApp.

Due to a delayed delivery, Harutyunyan sought a refund on his deposit. Rudenko claimed no additional agreement on kiosk colors was reached due to production delays. However, WhatsApp messages were presented in court in which both parties discussed kiosk color and size. On April 6, Rudenko suggested "A good yellow strip on a white background," receiving a thumbs-up emoji in response from Harutyunyan, and then went forward with the color scheme, which eventually led to the court case.

“This emoji means ‘good,’ in common sense when communicating through electronic correspondence,” the court order noted. The court also clarified that, following the emoji, Harutyunyan did not specify the actual meaning behind the thumbs-up answer, and that “the defendant took this answer as an agreement that did not require additional explanation.”

You Might Also Like

iPhones Banned
  • June 27, 2023

iPhones Banned

Members of the government have been forbidden from bringing iPhones to cabinet meetings.
Hold Your Tongue
  • December 19, 2022

Hold Your Tongue

The State Duma began reviewing a new law that would restrict the use of foreign loan words in official Russian communications.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955