Updated August 11, 2025
Russian internet advertising now requires specific labeling on every single ad. Here’s what must appear on each piece of creative:
The word “реклама” (advert)
Advertiser details
A link to a page with full advertiser information
Every creative also needs its own unique identifier from an Advertising Data Operator (ОРД). This means everyone involved – advertisers, agencies, freelancers – has to submit their information and campaign details to the ОРД.
There’s more. Federal Law № 38-FZ “On Advertising” (Article 18.2) brought in a 3% fee on internet ad revenue from Russian audiences. This started April 1, 2025.
At the same time, Federal Law № 72-FZ banned ads on certain platforms entirely – anything owned by “undesirable” organizations, groups banned for extremism or terrorism, or any blocked Russian resources (full details here). Come September 1, 2025, Russian advertisers can’t use any of these platforms.
Important: The law requires removing all ads from banned resources by September 1, 2025 – after that date, legal consequences kick in.
Purpose of the law
The ad labeling system enables monitoring through the Unified Register of Online Ads (ERIR). This registry, accessible to both the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and Federal Tax Service (FNS), maintains records of:
Advertising creative identifiers
Campaign types and placement platforms
Distribution methods, volumes, and formats
Product and service descriptions
Duration of system placement
Advertising placement contract details
Information about all distribution chain participants, including end advertisers
How this affects your work
The updated Advertising Law (effective September 1, 2022) requires all participants in the advertising distribution chain to ensure complete, accurate, and timely information submission.
Previously, the process was straightforward: an advertiser would assign work to a freelancer (such as a targeting specialist or influencer), who would then place creatives in the advertising system for display.
The addition of the ORD now requires two key interactions:
Pre-launch – submitting information about the planned advertisement, advertiser, and distributor
Post-display – providing campaign statistics within one month after the calendar month of display
New work process
The advertiser (client, end advertiser, or intermediary) assigns work to the freelancer (advertising distributor) through Solar Staff
Either party (as agreed) obtains unique identifiers from the ORD for each advertising creative by providing:
Campaign type and placement platform details
Information about all placement participants, including the end advertiser
Advertising placement contract details
Product and service descriptions
The freelancer incorporates these identifiers into the creatives (text ads, banners, video clips) before campaign launch
The freelancer uploads the labeled creatives to the advertising system (e.g., Yandex Direct advertising account)
The advertising system publishes the user-visible creatives
The second phase involves data transmission to the ORD:
6. The freelancer submits impression statistics per creative and data for certificate generation
7. All participants provide the ORD with placement information and closing certificate data
8. The ORD transfers this information to ERIR
9. Payment of deductions to the budget in the amount of 3% of the cost of services is made in the following order:
If a contractor (not an agency) agreement is concluded with the advertiser, payment of 3% is made from the income (the total cost of services/works) under this agreement only 1 (one) time.
If an agency agreement is concluded with the advertiser and further agency agreements are also concluded in the chain, payment of 3% is made from the agent's remuneration for each agency agreement in the chain, including the first contractor (not an agency) agreement.
The Penalties Are Steep
Ad labeling violations come with serious fines – under Part 16 of Article 14.3 of the Administrative Code. Any ad missing an identifier or displaying it incorrectly triggers this. Fines go up to RUB 500,000 per violation, and the advertising distributor takes the hit (Part 7 of Article 38, Law № 38-FZ).
Even ads that launch with proper tokens can spell trouble. Submit incomplete data to the ОРД, file it late, or skip it entirely – same fine, up to RUB 500,000 (Part 15 of Article 14.3 of the Administrative Code). In this case, both advertisers and distributors can face these penalties.
There's another important consideration: tax authorities might reject your internet ad expenses as deductions. If your campaign data doesn’t show up in the Unified Internet Advertising Registry (ЕРИР), the Federal Tax Service will hit you with back taxes plus penalties (Part 15 of Article 18.1, Law № 38-FZ).
For the 3% fee that began April 1, 2025, specific penalties for non-payment haven't been established yet.
Advertise on banned platforms and everyone faces consequences. Advertisers and distributors both receive administrative fines: legal entities up to RUB 500,000, officials up to RUB 20,000, individuals up to RUB 2,500.
What’s Changed for Companies
Reporting got bigger. Companies now report for themselves plus everyone up the chain to the final advertiser. Meanwhile, advertising distributors file their own separate data.
There’s a new fee. The 3% charge on Russian internet ad revenue is
built it right into Solar Staff’s pricing for ОРД tasks, and we send it to the government every quarter.
Some platforms are now forbidden. You’ll need to stay on top of banned resource lists and keep your ads off them.
What Freelancers Need to Do Now
Get verified – it’s required. Every individual, self-employed person, and individual entrepreneur must complete Solar Staff verification and add their taxpayer ID (ИНН) to their account. The law demands it. Check out our verification walkthrough and ИНН setup guide.
Sign the new addendum. We’ve added a supplementary agreement to the main contract. Take a look here.
Watch out for banned platforms. Just like companies, freelancers need to steer clear of prohibited resources.
Where You Can’t Advertise Anymore
Starting September 1, 2025, three types of platforms are completely off-limits:
1. Platforms Run by Undesirable Organizations
Any internet property belonging to foreign or international organizations on Russia’s official undesirable list. That covers their websites, social accounts, news sites – basically anything connected to these organizations.
2. Resources of Banned Extremist and Terrorist Groups
Websites and accounts belonging to organizations (including public and religious groups) that Russian courts have banned under anti-extremism or anti-terrorism laws. This sweeps up information resources from all extremist organizations prohibited in Russia.
3. Blocked Platforms
Any internet resource that’s officially blocked in Russia is off-limits for ads. Russia blocks sites for various reasons – personal data violations, extremist content, illegal material. This includes everything in Roskomnadzor’s registry (pirate sites, platforms with banned content, etc.) plus foreign agent media sites with restricted access.
The law defines “information resource” broadly – any internet platform qualifies, including websites, social media pages, apps, and accounts on information platforms. This means the ban applies to social networks, messengers, news sites, blogs, and all other online resources that fall into these categories.
How to Check if a Platform is Safe
Want to know if you can advertise somewhere? Run it through these official registries:
Here’s the rule: if the platform or its owner doesn’t appear in any of these lists, and the resource isn’t blocked – you’re good to advertise there. If there’s a match, it’s safer to avoid that platform to prevent potential fines.
Where to learn more about ad labeling
Questions? Contact us through the online chat in your Solar Staff account or email [email protected].