Keyword: «criminal legislation of russia.»

The article examines the formation and development of the institution of active repentance in Russian criminal law. The key legislative acts of each historical period are analyzed, the main trends and peculiarities of regulation are revealed. Special attention is paid to the transformation of the elements of active repentance – from disparate norms to a comprehensive institution of exemption from criminal liability. The relevance of the work is determined by the need for a comprehensive analysis of the historical prerequisites for the formation of this institution in order to optimize its modern application. The study revealed that the institution of active repentance has gone through a difficult path from fragmentary application in pre-revolutionary law to systemic consolidation in the modern Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.