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The State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation has recommended passing, at its second reading, amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences that introduce fines for searching for extremist materials. Net Freedoms and Forbes have reported on this.
The draft law proposes a new Article 13.53 of the Code of Administrative Offences: “Searching for knowingly extremist materials and gaining access to them, including via software and hardware tools for accessing information resources and information and telecommunication networks to which access is restricted.”
Penalties under this provision would range from three to five thousand roubles (approximately US$33–55) for searching the internet and gaining access to materials included in the federal list of extremist materials, as well as any other materials that, in the opinion of the authorities, fall under the definition of “extremist materials” in Article 1 of the federal law “On Counteracting Extremist Activity.” The new article clarifies that this will also apply to searching for such materials using VPN services.
According to a Forbes source in the IT sector, it is unclear how precisely it could be proven that someone searched for “extremist materials” online without seizing their device.
The State Duma Committee has also approved an amendment introducing fines for advertising VPN services:
- from 50 to 80 thousand roubles (approximately US$550–880) for individuals;
- from 80 to 150 thousand roubles (approximately US$880–1,650) for officials;
- from 200 to 500 thousand roubles (approximately US$2,200–5,500) for legal entities.
The same fines are proposed for VPN service owners who fail to comply with rules for interaction with Roskomnadzor, refuse to connect to the state register of blocked resources, or fail to restrict access to those resources.
Net Freedoms believe that this article is also being introduced to hold administrators of micro-VPN services—used by small groups—liable.
Another new article introduces fines for transferring an online account to another person:
- from 30 to 50 thousand roubles (approximately US$330–550) for individuals;
- from 50 to 100 thousand roubles (approximately US$550–1,100) for individual entrepreneurs;
- from 100 to 200 thousand roubles (approximately US$1,100–2,200) for legal entities.
A note to the article specifies that it is not an offence to transfer an account’s login and password “for the lawful use of the information resource’s functionalities on behalf of, or with the consent of, the Internet user.”
Similar fines are proposed for transferring a SIM card to a person to whom it is not registered; the article specifies that the temporary, non-commercial handover of a SIM card for personal use would not be considered an offence.
The amendments would also introduce fines for organisers of information distribution online and owners of online communication networks for violating rules on interacting with state authorities and security agencies (including disclosing information about such interaction) and for failing to comply with government requirements for equipment and technical facilities. Net Freedoms says this refers, for example, to internet service administrators, telecoms operators and hosting providers.
All these amendments are scheduled to take effect on 1 September 2025.
Initially, the draft law concerned only forwarding services. It was submitted to the State Duma in October 2024, and was adopted in the first reading in January 2025. After that, the bill stalled in the Duma for half a year—on 14 July, a version appeared in the draft’s file containing amendments on other issues.
“A ‘cunning’ tactic of quietly using previously submitted bills that had stalled has been repeatedly used to advance repressive initiatives. It allows the adoption process to be accelerated, moving straight to the second and third readings literally in a single day. It also helps avoid public outcry,” Net Freedoms notes.
The same bill now also proposes amendments that would introduce fines or licence suspensions for refusing to yield to any vehicle with flashing blue lights. Previously, sanctions in such situations were provided only for specialised vehicles with approved colour patterns, markings and designations, such as ambulances or police cars.