Ukaz

Ukaz (указ) is a term used for an official, legally binding act issued by a sovereign, ruler, or state authority in Russian-speaking contexts. It is commonly translated as decree, edict, or directive and describes orders that regulate administration, public policy, or rights and obligations. The word comes from Proto-Slavic roots meaning “to point out” or “to indicate.”

In Imperial Russia, ukazy were the primary form of executive command issued by the tsar and centralized authorities. They could address broad policy or specific administrative matters, and their legal force depended on the autocrat’s authority and the legal framework of the time.

In the Soviet period, ukazy were decrees issued by central state bodies such as the Council of Ministers or, earlier, executive committees of the Soviet state. They announced policy, reorganized state structures, nationalized property, or implemented economic plans, and were enforceable across the Union or its republics.

Today, the term remains in use in Russia and some post-Soviet states as a formal category of normative acts. Presidential ukazy and government ukazy regulate internal administration, executive appointments, budgetary decisions, and specific regulatory measures. They sit below constitutions and federal laws in the legal hierarchy, and typically require publication in official outlets to take effect; they may be repealed or amended by later ukazy or by higher legal instruments.

Beyond formal use, ukaz can also mean a simple instruction or directive in everyday language, where context determines the degree of formality and authority.