The State Duma's Committee on State Building and Legislation has proposed approving amendments during the second reading that would impose penalties on Russian citizens for "seeking out or accessing extremist content." These legislative changes, set to take effect on September 1, appear in the parliamentary database.
Under the proposed amendments, a new provision (Article 13.53) would be added to the Administrative Offenses Code, prohibiting "the deliberate search for or access to extremist materials, including through technical means to reach restricted online resources." According to Network Freedoms, offenders could face fines ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles for merely viewing prohibited material.
The watchdog group highlights that search engine operators (such as ya.ru), internet service providers, and public Wi-Fi administrators (in places like metro stations, cafes, or hotels) may share users' browsing data with authorities unless their traffic is encrypted.
A separate amendment to Article 14.3 of the Administrative Code ("Breaches of advertising laws") introduces penalties for promoting VPN services, with fines spanning from 50,000 rubles for individuals to 500,000 rubles for businesses.
Notably, these measures were attached to an unrelated bill initially focused on freight forwarding regulations. Network Freedoms observes that this strategy—tacking significant amendments onto low-profile legislation—has been employed before.
"This approach accelerates adoption, enabling bills to bypass preliminary scrutiny and reach final readings within days while minimizing public attention," the organization explained.