In Russia, a fine was imposed for the first time for criticizing the Taliban.
A comment left by a 19-year-old young man was assessed by the court as inciting interethnic hostility.
The Oktyabr District Court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, imposed an administrative fine on a local resident for a comment left under a post about the Taliban on the social network VKontakte. Meduza reported this.
It is noted that 19-year-old Egor A. left a comment inciting hatred under a post on VKontakte. Court documents state that he works at the Aerotex company.
The post on VKontakte read: "The Taliban fills Russia with grenades, raisins, Coca-Cola, carpets, and cotton," to which Egor A. commented with the meaning: "What business do Westerners have in Russia?" The comment was assessed by the court as inciting interethnic discord.
The court ruling notes that two more of the defendant's comments regarding migrants were also included in the case materials.
It is reported that Egor A. admitted his guilt and expressed remorse. The court imposed a fine of 10,000 rubles on him.
For context, the Taliban was banned in Russia as a terrorist organization after coming to power in Afghanistan in 2021. In April 2025, the Supreme Court of Russia decided to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations.
