A very brief announcement on The Voice of Russia website says that Russia “is planning” to join the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Alexander Petrikov explained that Russia will benefit because it will “acquire access to samples of 22 food and 29 feeding crops, which it needs for its food security.”
Our Man who Knows the Treaty Inside Out says that genetic resources “under the management and control” of the government are automatically included in the Treaty. ((What does that mean? See here.)) So the rest of the world benefits by getting access to Russia’s holdings that meet those conditions. But, there’s no obligation on the host to maintain plant genetic resources.
“They can let them wither and die,” said Our Man. So don’t hold your breath for Pavlovsk.