Russia: State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation amended Bill amending Code of Administrative Offenses (Bill No. 755710-8) to introduce fines for searching for extremist content and advertising VPN

On 14 July 2025, the State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation amended Bill amending Code of Administrative Offenses (Bill No. 755710-8) to introduce fines for searching for extremist content and advertising VPN. The revised Bill introduces a new Article 13.53 establishing administrative liability for the deliberate search for and access to clearly extremist materials on the Internet, including when such access is achieved using software and hardware tools, such as VPN services, that bypass restrictions on access to information and telecommunication networks. The specified sanction for this offence is an administrative fine for individuals ranging from RUB 3'000 to 5'000. Additionally, the Bill amends Article 14.3 to impose administrative fines for advertising software and hardware that enable access to restricted information networks, with fines ranging from RUB 50'000 to 80'000 for citizens, RUB 80'000 to 150'000 for officials, and RUB 200'000 to 500'000 for legal entities.