Runtu is a Russian desktop Linux distribution based on Ubuntu's LTS (long-term support) releases. It features full support for Russian and a variety of extra applications, tools and media codecs.

There are two separate editions that are produced with a varying degree of frequency; the "Xfce" edition tend to get more attention while the "Lite" edition, featuring the LXDE desktop, is also released and updated from time to time.

Default applications include the Midnight Commander two-panel file manager, DeaDBeeF audio player, guvcview webcam viewer, VLC Media Player, RecordMyDesktop desktop session recorder, uGet download manager, Transmission BitTorrent client, mtPaint graphic editor, Mousepad text editor, LXTerminal terminal emulator, GPicView image viewer, Mozilla Firefox web browser, and Synaptic Package Manager for installing additional packages or removing/updating existing ones.

As mentioned, it uses the minimal Openbox window manager as its default desktop environment. A single taskbar is provided on the bottom edge of the screen, allowing users to easily and quickly access the main menu, launch applications, as well as to interact with running programs.

The default language is Russian, but it also supports the English language. From the boot prompt, users can try the operating system without installing anything on their computers, run a memory test, boot an existing OS, as well as to install the distribution without testing it (not recommended).

The Lite edition of Runtu has been designed for low-end machines and computers with old hardware components. It is very fast, stable and reliable, based on the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version of the Lubuntu Linux operating system.