Key Takeaways
- Russia’s Federation Council approved amendments on online tobacco sales.
- The law covers tobacco, nicotine products, heated tobacco devices and hookahs.
- Websites may be blocked without a court decision.
- Affected sites will be added to Russia’s prohibited information registry.
- The law is set to take effect on March 1, 2026, if signed by the president.
2Firsts, December 26, 2025 – According to TASS,Russia’s Federation Council approved legislation at a plenary session allowing the extrajudicial blocking of websites that contain information on the online sale of tobacco and nicotine-containing products.
The law covers tobacco products, nicotine-containing products, hookahs, and nicotine consumption devices such as IQOS. Websites offering such content will be added to Russia’s unified register of information prohibited from distribution and may be blocked without a court ruling.
The amendments introduce changes to the law “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection.” The authors of the initiative also propose obliging website owners to monitor the appearance of online sales offers for the specified products on their platforms.
The explanatory note states that similar measures have already been applied to information on the remote sale of alcohol and have proven effective, including in preventing sales through online marketplaces.
If signed by the President of the Russian Federation, the law will enter into force on March 1, 2026.
Image source: TASS
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