Fines imposed on Dagestan residents for social media logos have outraged Telegram users.
In May, at least six people in Dagestan were fined for displaying the Instagram* logo on signs and in posts. Telegram users considered the security forces' zeal excessive.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in February, a resident of Dagestan's Laksky District became a suspect in a criminal case for publicly displaying prohibited symbols. The prosecution stemmed from posts featuring extremist symbols posted on the man's personal social media page in 2017-2018. Law enforcement officials stated that after receiving the administrative penalty, the man "failed to delete the posts and continued to store them in the public domain."
Public display of prohibited symbols, including symbols of extremist organizations, is punishable under Article 282.4 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of up to four years. A criminal case under this article is initiated in cases where a person has already been held administratively liable under a similar article, Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.
A district police officer drew up reports against store owners in Makhachkala
In May 2026, the Sovetsky District Court of Makhachkala fined five people for displaying extremist symbols due to the Instagram* and Facebook* logos on signs and in advertising, the media project reported on May 29.
According to court records, the owner of a baby food store in Makhachkala, Abdulla Adziev, was fined 2,000 rubles for a sticker with the Instagram* logo on the store's window, the publication states.
On Elmira Akhmedkhanova was fined 1,000 rubles for displaying an advertising banner with the Instagram logo* on a shelf selling dietary supplements at the TsUM shopping center in Makhachkala. The case was initiated based on a report drawn up by a district police officer.
Zukhra Gadisova, the owner of a women's clothing store at the same shopping center, and Dzhamilya Tsizoeva, the owner of a lingerie store, received the same fine for displaying the social media logo. The same district police officer drew up the reports in these cases.
Furthermore, Makhachkala resident Magomed Nurov was fined 2,000 rubles for displaying extremist symbols for displaying the Instagram logo* on his personal vehicle. The violation report was drawn up by an employee of the Center for Combating Extremism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Dagestan, the publication states.
The court examined both the sign and the store's social media account
"Caucasian Knot" verified this information on the court's website, and the information was confirmed. Thus, the case file of Zukhra Gadisova, who was fined on May 5, contains an anonymized text of the court ruling.
According to the ruling, the woman "placed a sign containing the Meta company logo* - a minimalist image of a camera, which is the symbol of the social network Instagram"* - on the wall of the façade of her women's clothing store in the TsUM shopping center.
"In addition, the said store's account on the social network Instagram* […] posted the symbols of the Instagram organization* - a logo in the form of a stylized camera, as well as the store's contact information with an account on this social network," the document states.
The accused confirmed the circumstances set out in the administrative offense report, "fully admitted her guilt, and repented of her actions," he noted. court.
"To sentence her to an administrative fine of 1,000 (one thousand) rubles with confiscation of the object of the administrative offense—the sign," the judge ruled.
Telegram users considered the punishment for the Dagestan residents harsh.
On May 28, the anonymous Telegram channel Baza reported that 29-year-old Dagestan resident Diana was also fined for a video featuring the Instagram logo*; her mobile phone was confiscated as the weapon used in the offense.
According to the Telegram channel, Diana is a single mother of a disabled child. She posted a video in which the social network logo was visible. The local police officer deemed this a violation of the law. The court found the woman guilty of administrative offenses and sentenced her to a fine of 2,000 rubles, the publication says.
Many of the comments criticized the law enforcement officers who issued the fines. "It would be better if they actually fined those who deserve it. Those who post all this nonsense," wrote one user with a nickname consisting of an image of a heart.
"The insanity is getting worse," Chester commented succinctly. "Instead of helping the mother of a disabled man, they even confiscated his phone," Gunel Babaeva expressed indignation.
"The local police officer has absolutely nothing better to do, apparently. He should have fought someone else," opined Ksenia. "They did a great job; they should build a statue for him," another user quipped. "He probably got a bonus," Alina suggested. "Couldn't they have gotten away with a warning the first time?" Saida asked. "Don't judge me too harshly. Maybe there was an order from above," R. wrote. "Typical [Russia] – fines, bans, fines, bans, fines, bans," Becker commented. "There are no other problems, that's the main problem," V. remarked ironically.
Lawyer explains prosecution for public display of social network logos
Media lawyer Svetlana Kuzevanova previously commented on the practice of prosecution for displaying prohibited symbols.
"You can be prosecuted for displaying symbols regardless of where it's published. Whether it's a website, a social network, a status, a banned social network or an approved social network, or, I don't know, posted on a fence. All of this in itself constitutes a public display of prohibited symbols, which is punishable in our country. And, accordingly, it's only a matter of law enforcement and the state's will to prosecute the person who did it," she was quoted as saying on April 4, 2026. BFM.ru.
The lawyer emphasized that liability applies "exclusively for public display." "So far, there's no posting, so long as we're sitting at home looking at these logos for personal purposes—it doesn't violate anything, it's not considered a violation yet, including distributing links. [...] But the display of symbols... And since Meta is recognized as an extremist organization, the logos of its information products—Instagram*, Facebook*, WhatsApp*, and so on—are recognized as symbols of this organization. Four years have passed since Meta was designated as extremist, and there haven't been many cases. Of course, a sudden wave could occur, but given that four years has been a periodic process, we can somehow evaluate it. So, overall, the practice isn't very active and is unlikely to become so," Kuzevanova said.