Officers of the Center for Combating Extremism (Center "E") identified "a fact of unlawful activity" by the 19-year-old resident of Kurgan, according to the regional branch of the Interior Ministry. The young man allegedly searched online for an audio composition recognized as extremist and then listened to it using software designed to access blocked resources — presumably a VPN service. The name of the song was not disclosed.
An administrative protocol has been drawn up against the young man under Article 13.53 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses, which covers the search for and access to knowingly extremist materials. The maximum penalty under this article is a fine of 3,000 to 5,000 rubles (roughly $30 to $50).
This is the sixth known case involving Article 13.53, which has been in effect since September 1, 2025. The previous case was registered in June in Chechnya.
The first person fined under this article was a 20-year-old resident of Kamensk-Uralsky, who viewed online materials about the Azov regiment and the Russian Volunteer Corps, both designated as extremist organizations in Russia. His lawyer argued that the young man had come across the materials by accident and immediately deleted them; data about his online activity was provided to authorities by his mobile operator.
Following the incident, Kurgan police urged residents not to view or publish "banned information" online and to refrain from joining "informal associations and movements of an unlawful nature."