Search
The State Duma has passed at second reading a bill introducing fines for searching for extremist materials on the internet, advertising VPN services, transferring a SIM card or online account to another person, according to a broadcast on the lower house of parliament’s website.
283 MPs voted in favour of the bill in its amended form, 22 were against, and a further 22 abstained.
Initially, the bill concerned only forwarding activities and was adopted in this form at first reading. It then remained dormant in the State Duma for six months, and in July MPs proposed amendments relating to completely different issues.
The bill now introduces administrative fines for:
- Searching for extremist materials online;
- Advertising VPN services;
- Transferring a SIM card or an online account to another person;
- Failing to comply with Roskomnadzor demands and restrict access to blocked sites by VPN service providers;
- Violating rules on interacting with government bodies and security forces by telecom operators, administrators of internet services, and hosting providers.
The fine for searching for extremist materials will range from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles (about US$35–60). Advertising VPN services, as well as refusal by VPN service owners to comply with Roskomnadzor’s demands, will result in fines for individuals of 50,000 to 80,000 rubles (about US$570–910), for officials 80,000 to 150,000 rubles (about US$910–1,700), and for legal entities 200,000 to 500,000 rubles (about US$2,285–5,715).
Transferring a SIM card or an online account may lead to a fine of 30,000 to 50,000 rubles (about US$340–570) for individuals, 50,000 to 100,000 rubles (about US$570–1,140) for sole proprietors, and 100,000 to 200,000 rubles (about US$1,140–2,285) for legal entities.
The bill clarifies that the gratuitous short-term transfer of a SIM card for personal use will not be considered an offence. It is also permitted to share your login and password with another person “for lawful use of the functional capabilities of an information resource on behalf of the Internet user or with their consent.”
The amendments are set to take effect on 1 September 2025.
Yekaterina Mizulina, head of the “Safe Internet League,” who is known for reporting artists, bloggers and government critics, and Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the pro-government RT outlet, have both criticised the amendment banning the search for extremist materials. Mizulina complained that if the bill passes, her organisation will not be able to report people to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Simonyan wrote: Dear government, tell me please, how are we supposed to investigate and shame all those extremist FBK types if we are even banned from reading them? I hope there will be amendments.
OVD-Info has prepared an analysis on which materials MPs propose to punish Russians for searching for, and how you can protect yourself.