Russia Cracks Down on Films Challenging “Traditional Values” With New Fines and Penalties

Russia has introduced a bill that aims to impose administrative responsibility for the distribution of films discrediting traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, as reported by Russian state media TASS on December 17.

“The bill, which aims to introduce administrative penalties for violating the ban on distributing audiovisual works that discredit traditional Russian spiritual and moral values or promote their rejection, will be submitted to the State Duma  soon,” Anton Nemkin, a member of the Duma’s Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology, and Communications stated.

The legislation proposes fines for individuals, officials, and legal entities that fail to comply with Roskomnadzor’s  regulations. Fines could reach $200 for individuals, $20,000 for officials, and $10,400 for legal entities. If violations are repeated, these amounts would increase, with individuals facing up to $3,150, officials up to $8,400, and legal entities up to $52,500.

In addition, audiovisual service providers could face separate fines for distributing content that discredits traditional Russian values. These fines would range from $52.50 for individuals to $7,350 for legal entities, with repeat offenders subject to penalties of up to $1,575 for individuals, $4,200 for officials, and $31,500 for legal entities.

“However, liability will not apply if the disputed work is removed by the service provider within 24 hours of the revocation of the distribution certificate. The statute of limitations for these new offenses will be one year,” Nemkin clarified.

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The Ministry of Culture of Russia will be responsible for initiating administrative cases, while Roskomnadzor will handle enforcement if the content is not removed. Cases will be adjudicated by district courts.

“This responsibility will not apply to works distributed before this date or those with distribution certificates at the time of distribution,” the document notes.

Earlier, it was reported that foreign films will be unavailable in major Russian cinemas during the upcoming New Year holidays.

The publication highlights that screenings of foreign films and animations, such as Avatar 3, Zootopia 2, and other Western releases, will be temporarily halted during the January holiday period.

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