Results of a string of positive tests given by sportsmen and women across several disciplines were made public by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on Tuesday.
Although none of the 12 athletes are involved in winter sports, the news still comes as a significant black mark against the country ahead of the showpiece Olympic gathering in Sochi next month.
The athletes - who include competitors from rowing, shooting, wrestling, weightlifting, kickboxing, powerlifting and athletics - have all been provisionally suspended after the presence of banned substances were detected in their 'A' samples.
It is believed that none of the 12 have ever won a medal at a major international competition.
News of the failed tests has once again brought the issue of doping in Russian sport firmly into the spotlight, with several athletes having been banned in recent months.
Powerlifters Alexander Shumilov and Yuri Kivilev were the latest to be added to that list on Tuesday, after the Russian Powerlifting Federation suspended them for two years and six months respectively.
