The current situation forced the organizers to abandon the traditional format, switch to an online format and rename the event, which was supposed to become the 10th anniversary edition, into "9 1/2th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum: Rule of Corona."

The forum is expected to feature such speakers as Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council; Marija Pejcinovic Buric, the secretary general of the Council of Europe; and World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

All of them will take part in a plenary session on Friday, which will be opened by Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko.

The forum will fully focus on the role of law in fighting the pandemic. Politicians and legal professionals will discuss whether law can become one of the instruments in countering the epidemic.

The next day, as part of the forum, Chuychenko will host a meeting with his colleagues from Armenia, Uzbekistan and Hong Kong.

The forum will run through April 12. According to the Justice Ministry, it may become the world’s largest online event of such type. As of April 8, more than 9,000 participants from 82 countries have registered to take part in the forum.