Russia moves to fine depictions of religious buildings without symbols

A committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament has approved a proposal introducing fines for depicting religious buildings without their identifying religious symbols, including churches shown without crosses.

The State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation backed the initiative, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Under the proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, individuals could face fines ranging from 5,000 ($66) to 30,000 rubles ($396), while legal entities could be fined between 100,000 ($1,322) and 300,000 rubles. The proposal also seeks to extend the statute of limitations for such cases under Article 5.26 from 90 days to one year.

Lawmakers say the changes are intended to strengthen guarantees for the protection of religious believers’ sentiments.

The proposal builds on earlier legislation introduced in 2025 and follows previous controversies in Russia over the depiction of religious symbols in public imagery and media.

One widely reported dispute involved a redesign of the 1,000-ruble banknote in 2023, when the Kazan Kremlin was shown without a cross on a church dome, prompting public backlash and the eventual withdrawal of the design. The issue also led to broader legal restrictions on altering or omitting crosses in official imagery, advertising, and state-related symbols.

More recently, in May 2025, reports noted the temporary removal of crosses from the Russian state coat of arms during an official ceremony in Chechnya and from the Kremlin website, before they were later restored following public criticism.

By Sabina Mammadli