"We've been waiting for this for 15 years," Olga Dergunova, Microsoft's president for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, said during a briefing.
The software giant noted a 48% rise in sales in Russia, but didn't provide figures, citing US securities regulations. A person close to the company, however, put net profit for Russia at around $150m for the fiscal year ended June.
Dergunova said the necessary intellectual property legislation is in place in Russia to fight software piracy. "Except for one or two clauses, Russia's legislation is now in line with World Trade Organisation requirements," she said.
"Russia's planned WTO entry has helped greatly in this respect."
Dergunova added that Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref had recently assuranced the emphasis would now switch to enforcement.
Earlier this month, Gref cited intellectual property violations as a stumbling block to Russia joining the WTO. Consultants IDC put software piracy in Russia at 87% of the market.