Aim.To assess the percentage of the patients who receive lipid-lowering drug therapy and achieve target levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL–CH), in accordance with the recommendations by the Russian Cardiology Society (RCS) and the 4th Joint European Task Force (4JETF).Material and methods.The CEPHEUS study is a multi-centre, cross-sectional observational study with the participation of Russian patients. The study participants received lipid-lowering therapy for at least 3 months (no dose modification for ≥6 weeks). The start-date and end-date of the study were Oct 22nd 2010 and Mar 22nd 2011, respectively. The cross-sectional data were collected during a single visit to the clinic.Results.The study included 1000 Russian patients. Overall, target LDL–CH levels were achieved in 34,5% (RCS criteria) and 48,2% (4JEFT criteria) of the patients who received lipid-lowering therapy in the routine clinical practice. The patients who were treated for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events (CVE) achieved target levels of LDL–CH more often than the patients treated for primary prevention: 38,2% vs. 27,0%, respectively, by the RCS criteria (odds ratio (OR) 1,67; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1,22–2,28; p=0,001) and 54,5% vs. 35,4%, respectively, by the 4JEFT criteria (OR 2,19; 95% CI 1,63–2,95; p<0,001).Conclusion.Target levels of LDL–CH are achieved by <50% of the Russian patients who receive lipid-lowering treatment. This percentage is even lower in patients receiving lipid-lowering treatment for primary CVE prevention.