"We want to test them in a [low security] 'settlement colony,' where inmates can move freely," said Oleg Filimonov, head of the legal department at the Federal Penitentiary Service (FPS).
The tags, which cannot be removed and are "tamper proof," could be used as an alternative for prison, to locate offenders in penal colonies with the right to work outside the colony, offenders on house arrest and subject to curfews, and those who could pose a potential threat to society.
Two types of electronic tags will be tested in Russia - a simple device transmitting to a nearby station, and bracelets with GPS tracking ability.
So far, Russian legislation only allows the use of such devices by those sentenced to prison terms, but a law on the use of electronic tags for those on remand awaiting trial is currently in the pipeline.
According to official data, there are 850,000 people currently serving terms in Russia's prisons.
