Government has decided to strengthen penalties for breaching the Foreign Agents Registration Act
In recent developments, Russia has taken steps to tighten its internet controls, with a focus on foreign agents and extremist content. Here's a breakdown of the key changes and their implications.
The Russian government has approved a bill to toughen penalties for violating the foreign agent law. This law, initially enacted in 2012, requires NGOs, citizens, and companies to disclose their foreign funding and activities. The bill proposes to amend parts 1 and 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code, and it has received a positive review from the Supreme Court.
Foreign agents are now prohibited from holding government positions, investing in strategic enterprises, and running for elections at any level. They are also barred from being members of election commissions and organizing public events.
A bill was submitted to the lower house of the Russian parliament last week, prohibiting foreign agents from being founders of media outlets and publishing houses. The bill is now ready to be introduced to the State Duma.
Meanwhile, the current and proposed penalties for violating Russia's foreign agent and related online content laws include fines and administrative punishments primarily targeting individual internet users who search for or access content labeled as "extremist."
Individuals face fines ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles (approximately $38 to $64) for such violations. This law takes effect from September 1, 2025.
There are additional penalties for VPN providers who facilitate access to blocked websites or refuse to comply with government demands for traffic filtering. Fines range from 50,000 rubles (~$624) to 5 million rubles (~$62,386) for repeated violations. Advertising VPN services is also banned with fines from 50,000 to 500,000 rubles.
The law grants authorities the ability to request users’ browsing data from search engines, telecoms, and mobile operators to enforce these penalties. However, the exact mechanisms of monitoring individuals’ online searches remain unclear and have raised concerns about expanded surveillance and arbitrary enforcement.
The scope of what constitutes "extremist" content in Russia is broadly defined and includes political opposition groups as well as LGBTQ+ organizations. These developments represent a further tightening of internet controls in Russia with significant penalties designed to deter the use of banned content and circumvention tools.
References: 1. [Link to Reference 1] 2. [Link to Reference 2] 3. [Link to Reference 3] 4. [Link to Reference 4] 5. [Link to Reference 5]
- The Russian government's new policy-and-legislation over foreign agents is expanding, with a focus on prohibiting them from holding government positions, investing in strategic enterprises, running for elections, and being members of election commissions or organizing public events.
- The rising concerns in general-news regarding Russia's internet controls tightening further are justified, as the proposed changes in policy-and-legislation, including amendments to the foreign agent law, could lead to expanded surveillance, arbitrary enforcement, and severe penalties for accessing or sharing extremist content.
