Searched and about to be fined. First man in Russia charged under new “searching for extremism” law after provider reports him to FSB

Mediazona checked the websites of nearly all relevant courts in Russia and found only this one protocol. It was filed in October at the Krasnogorsky District Court of Kamensk-Uralsky. Barsukov stated that today, after a second hearing, the court had returned the case to the police to correct mistakes.

According to the lawyer, Glukhikh was on public transport on September 24 when he encountered online information about the Ukrainian “Azov” and “RDK” (Russian Volunteer Corps) units. He read it, but “considered it unacceptable for himself”. His internet service provider, which remains unnamed, then proactively passed the information to the FSB, Russia’s security service.

The witnesses listed in the case are employees of the FSB and the police from Kamensk-Uralsky. Barsukov described the case file as “very raw”, noting it contains only two “pictures” and interrogation transcripts, with no evidence of intent, either direct or indirect. The lawyer also alleges that FSB officers exerted psychological pressure on Glukhikh during his interrogation.

The law banning the search for “extremist” materials was signed by Vladimir Putin on July 31, with the restrictions taking effect from September 1. Under Article 13.53, Russians face fines of 3,000 to 5,000 rubles ($37–62 at the current exchange rate). Both the police and the FSB are empowered to file these protocols.

The restrictions have drawn criticism even from state propagandists, pro-Kremlin activists, and ultranationalist blogs supporting the war. Ekaterina Mizulina, head of the quasi-government’s “Safe Internet League”, Margarita Simonyan, the head of the state broadcaster RT, and milblogger Roman Alyokhin all called for the bill to be amended. In September, Alyokhin was added to the registry of “foreign agents” despite his overtly pro-war stance.

This new case is the first practical application of the legislation that marked a significant escalation in Russia’s internet censorship, moving to punish the mere act of searching for or accessing banned content, not just its distribution or publication.

The legislation introduced two new articles: 13.53, used against Glukhikh, covers “searching for knowingly extremist materials and accessing them”; 13.52 targets “violating the procedure for using hardware and software tools to access information resources and information-telecommunications networks on the territory of the Russian Federation, access to which is restricted”—i.e., using VPNs to bypass government blocks. The latter carries much heavier penalties: up to 200,000 roubles ($2,500) for individuals, up to 300,000 roubles ($3,900) for officials and up to 1 million ($12,800) for companies and NGOs.