Sergey Bakeshin has provided his comments to Fontanka on the proposed fines for the unlawful distribution of foreign periodicals 

The Russian Parliament has passed a law at first reading which will establish liability for the publication of foreign periodicals without prior approval from the Russian regulator, Roskomnadzor.

Senior Associate at Maxima Legal, Sergey Bakeshin, explained to Fontanka how the new fines may be issued in practice.

“Periodicals include not only newspapers and journals but also bulletins and other publications published at least once a year. The definition could include academic notes. Distribution for the purpose of the law refers to sale, subscription, delivery, distribution and other ways to share information. Donation will certainly fall under the definition of distribution. As such sharing a journal with a colleague will constitute distribution. An interesting question would be if I subscribed to a foreign magazine or just bought one copy with delivery by mail, who will be responsible for illegal subscription or delivery, me or the sender? I assume that the fines will be issued against recipients”, Sergey concluded.

To read the article in full (in Russian), please see the Fontanka website >>>