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Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a package of laws, including the introduction of fines for searching for extremist materials online. This was highlighted by ASTRA.
The same package of documents introduces fines for:
- advertising VPN services and recognising the use of a VPN as an aggravating circumstance when committing crimes;
- transferring SIM cards or online accounts to another person;
- VPN service owners refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor requirements to restrict access to sites on the list of banned websites;
- violations of rules for interaction with government agencies and law enforcement, and disclosing information about such interactions by telecom operators, internet service administrators, and hosting providers.
Additionally, tax authorities will now be able to collect unpaid taxes and fines from citizens without going to court if the citizen does not contest the debt. The Investigative Committee will also be able to freeze the bank accounts of suspects without a court order.
Intentionally searching for extremist materials will be punishable by a fine of 3,000 to 5,000 roubles (approximately US$33 to $55). Advertising VPN services and refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor requirements can lead to fines for individuals of 50,000 to 80,000 roubles (US$550 to $870), for officials—80,000 to 150,000 roubles (US$870 to $1,630), and for legal entities—200,000 to 500,000 roubles (US$2,170 to $5,430).
Transferring a SIM card or internet account will result in fines from 30,000 to 50,000 roubles (US$325 to $540) for individuals, from 50,000 to 100,000 roubles (US$540 to $1,085) for individual entrepreneurs, and from 100,000 to 200,000 roubles (US$1,085 to $2,170) for legal entities.
The amendments state that short-term, non-commercial transfer of a SIM card for personal use will not be considered an offence. Passing your login and password for your account to another person is allowed “for the lawful use of the resource’s functions on behalf of the internet user or with their consent.”
The amendments will come into force on 1 September 2025.
Initially, the document only planned changes to the Administrative Offences Code regarding forwarding activities. It sat dormant in the State Duma for six months, and, in July, deputies proposed amendments addressing completely different issues. Deputies passed the law at its third and final reading on 22 July.