By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Russia will allow extrajudicial blocking of websites that promote online sales of tobacco and nicotine products.
- The law covers tobacco, nicotine products, hookahs, and devices such as IQOS.
- The measures take effect on March 1, 2026, pending presidential signature.
Russia’s Federation Council has approved legislation authorizing authorities to block websites extrajudicially if they contain information that facilitates the online sale of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, according to state news agency TASS.
The bill was approved during a plenary session of the upper chamber of parliament and amends the federal law “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection.” Once enacted, the changes will allow regulators to block access to websites that provide information on the remote sale of tobacco products without first obtaining a court order.
Under the legislation, prohibited content includes information about the online sale of tobacco products, nicotine-containing products (e-cigarettes, vapes and nicotine pouches), including heated tobacco products (HTPs). Websites hosting such information may be added to Russia’s Unified Register of Prohibited Information, triggering mandatory blocking by internet service providers.
The amendments also introduce new obligations for website owners and platform operators. Site administrators will be required to monitor their platforms for offers related to the online sale of the specified products and to take steps to prevent the dissemination of such information.
According to the bill’s explanatory note, lawmakers cited Russia’s regulatory precedent on alcohol sales. Similar extrajudicial blocking mechanisms have already been applied to information about the remote sale of alcoholic beverages and, according to the authors, have proven effective in limiting illegal online commerce, including sales on online marketplaces.
Russia prohibits the retail sale of tobacco and nicotine products online under existing law. The new provisions are intended to strengthen enforcement by accelerating the removal of online content that authorities say promotes or enables illegal sales, without relying on lengthy judicial procedures.
If signed into law by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the amendments are scheduled to take effect on March 1, 2026.
