Russia Fines ISPs for Bypassing Internet Control Tech (TSPU)
Russian internet service providers are facing increasing fines for failing to fully comply with government censorship directives, with at least ten rulings issued in Moscow and St. Petersburg in recent months, according to reporting by Mediazona. The penalties, typically 250,000 roubles (approximately $3,100), stem from a failure to route internet traffic through “technical means of countering threats” – specifically, TSPU equipment mandated for all providers nationwide.
The legal basis for these fines lies in part 1 of article 13.42.1 of Russia’s Administrative Offences Code. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, and the monitoring centre of GRCHC, the state enterprise overseeing the radio frequency spectrum, are responsible for identifying violations. Checks involve verifying whether blocked websites remain accessible and whether corresponding requests are logged by the TSPU filters.
Recent court cases have focused heavily on access to YouTube, with two cases also testing access to the Brussels-based news outlet, EUobserver. The majority of cases – seven out of nine reviewed – were heard at judicial district No. 21 in Moscow’s Nagatino-Sadovniki neighbourhood, the location of Roskomnadzor’s Central Federal District directorate. Judge Yaroslav Dolgopolov presided over six of those seven cases, issuing identical 250,000 rouble fines in several instances, reduced only in consideration of the companies’ financial circumstances.
Among the companies fined by Judge Dolgopolov on February 2, 2026, were Trivon Networks, YuL-Kom Media, iHome, AVK-Wellcom, and Grand, all for allowing access to YouTube in December 2025. Trivon Networks did not send a representative to court, while YuL-Kom Media and Grand pleaded guilty. IHome and AVK-Wellcom acknowledged traffic bypassed the TSPU but denied guilt, with AVK-Wellcom blaming a subcontractor.
MSK-IX, operator of Russia’s largest internet exchange point, was fined 250,000 roubles on February 25, though the specific blocked website found accessible via its network was not disclosed.
The only company to actively defend itself was Avantel, whose case was heard in December 2024. Avantel’s lawyers argued that access to EUobserver originated from an upstream operator, TransTeleCom, and that a Cloudflare extension had created a loophole in the TSPU system. Magistrate Maria Putintseva rejected these arguments and imposed a 500,000 rouble fine – the only instance where the court did not reduce the penalty.
iHome is the only provider fined twice. It was penalized in March 2025 for access to EUobserver, admitting guilt and expressing remorse. In February 2026, it was fined again for access to YouTube, but this time its representatives refused to admit guilt, stating the issue had since been resolved at a network node in Rostov-on-Don.
The ongoing enforcement actions highlight Russia’s continued efforts to exert control over the internet, as outlined in legislation dating back to 2008 and maintained through a centralized blacklist administered by Roskomnadzor.