A Moscow court issued a ruling this Tuesday against TikTok, ordering a financial penalty for failing to remove material deemed prohibited for distribution. The sum set by the court was 3 million rubles, roughly 50,834 USD or 51,502 EUR, and the decision was announced by the official state news agency. This marks another step in Russia’s ongoing oversight of social media platforms and their compliance with local laws regarding content visibility.
The Tagansky District Court in Moscow determined that TikTok committed an administrative violation by not removing information that belonged to the platform’s owner and, as a result, remained accessible to users. The ruling reflects a process in which regulators assess content against the country’s media laws and enforce penalties when platforms fail to act on requests from the supervising authority. The case underscores the role of Roskomnadzor, the agency charged with supervising communications, information technology, and mass media in Russia, in shaping what can be viewed by the public on popular international apps.
According to the official agency, the violation stems from a protocol created by Roskomnadzor that cites content deemed to promote certain positions on social issues, including what authorities describe as LGBT topics, radical feminist ideas, and views that contradict traditional norms. The court accepted this framework as the basis for determining the administrative breach and the corresponding penalty. This interpretation reflects the broader regulatory environment in which social platforms operating in Russia must balance freedom of expression with local policy constraints.
At the heart of the case is a video posted on February 10 that discussed methods of teaching English and how language learning can connect to broader social topics. Russian legal authorities argued that the video presented a distorted view of non-traditional relationships and related matters, and that it contravened applicable restrictions on content related to social issues. This position illustrates how content that touches on sensitive topics may be scrutinized and governed under the country’s information laws.
Since 2021, TikTok has accumulated a history of penalties in Russia for not removing information prohibited under national rules. The total fines documented in public sources indicate a pattern of enforcement that reflects ongoing tensions between platform operations and state regulatory expectations. The cumulative effect of these penalties has been a persistent reminder to international platforms of the need to align with Russia’s content guidelines while maintaining service availability for users within the country.
The broader legal framework in Russia restricts the dissemination of content that includes war propaganda, calls for ethnic, racial, or religious hatred, and material that could threaten the health and safety of minors. The law also limits messages that encourage drug use, tobacco and alcohol consumption, gambling participation, prostitution, and vagrancy. In addition, the regulatory scope covers material that defends cruelty toward animals, questions traditional family values, or promotes viewpoints considered outside the mainstream on sexual matters. These restrictions illustrate the careful line platforms must navigate when hosting user-generated content and sharing information with audiences inside Russia. It is within this environment that enforcement actions like fines are issued to ensure compliance with national standards and public policy objectives.