Key Takeaways
- Russia’s “Healthy Fatherland” movement proposed blocking online resources involved in remote sales of vapes and nicotine-containing products.
- The group said it identified about 200 open and closed communities allegedly involved in illegal remote sales through social media monitoring.
- The materials were submitted to the heads of Roskomnadzor, Rospotrebnadzor, and the Interior Ministry.
- The group said the identified resources offer delivery without verifying buyers’ age, enabling minors to access nicotine products.
- The movement’s chair said the pretrial blocking mechanism that came into force on April 1, 2026 should become a turning point in fighting illegal online trade.
2Firsts, April 15, 2026
According to RIA Novosti, Ekaterina Leshchinskaya, chair of the Russian public movement “Healthy Fatherland,” has proposed blocking access in Russia to online resources selling vapes and nicotine-containing products remotely.
Civic group called for blocking illegal vape sales resources
According to the report, letters containing the proposal were sent to Roskomnadzor chief Andrei Lipov, Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova, and Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, and copies are in the possession of RIA Novosti.
The group said that during its monitoring of social media it identified about 200 open and closed communities through which illegal remote sales of vapes and nicotine-containing products were being carried out in Russia’s million-plus cities.
The group said the resources allow minors to access nicotine products
The letter said that, in order to protect citizens’ health, especially the health of minors, and suppress the illegal circulation of nicotine-containing products, the authorities should review the submitted materials on the identified online communities and take steps to restrict access to those resources in accordance with established procedures.
The group also asked authorities to initiate additional response measures against individuals involved in organizing illegal activity where grounds exist.
According to the appeal, the identified online resources sell products with delivery and without checking buyers’ age, creating conditions for minors to gain unrestricted access to nicotine-containing products. The group said the activity is systemic in nature and has effectively formed a stable shadow infrastructure for online trade operating outside current Russian law.
The chair said the 200 communities are only the “tip of the iceberg”
In comments to RIA Novosti, Leshchinskaya said the organization was seeing not isolated violations, but a well-developed underground system of online nicotine trade.
She said the nearly 200 identified communities are only the “tip of the iceberg,” and that such platforms give teenagers unrestricted access to vapes while ignoring age barriers. She added that the pretrial blocking mechanism that began operating on April 1, 2026 should become a turning point.
Leshchinskaya said the organization expects immediate state action: all identified resources should be blocked, and the practice of illegal trade should be eradicated.
Image Source: RIA Novosti
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