Violations of vaping trade were revealed in 10 regions of Russia

In 10 regions of Russia, violations of the vape trade were revealed based on the results of inspections by Rospotrebnadzor and the Healthy Fatherland public movement. Inspections have shown that approximately one in five points of sale of vapes is located less than 100 m from schools. The press service of the movement told Izvestia about this on May 14.

"As a result of interaction with Rospotrebnadzor, since April 9, 2026, the supervisory authority has issued one order to eliminate violations, announced 32 warnings about the inadmissibility of violating mandatory requirements, drawn up five protocols on administrative offenses, and six lawsuits are being prepared to be filed with judicial authorities. In addition, nicotine—containing products with no means of identification have been seized at two retail outlets," the movement said.

They also explained that the inspections took place in the territories of the Khabarovsk and Krasnodar Territories, the Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Rostov, Penza, Kaluga regions, the republics of Karelia, Tatarstan, and Sakha (Yakutia). A total of 44 outlets have been checked.

Of these, in 26 retail outlets (59.1%), there were violations of the retail sale of nicotine—containing products and devices for its consumption with open display and demonstration in the sales department.

In 11 retail outlets (25%), nicotine—containing products are sold in violation of labeling requirements by means of identification.

In 16 retail outlets (36.4%), nicotine—containing products were sold without a list of products for sale.

In six retail outlets (13.6%), there were violations in terms of ensuring that information about the seller was communicated to consumers.

In eight retail outlets (18.2%), nicotine—containing products were sold at a distance of less than 100 m in a straight line, excluding artificial and natural barriers from the nearest point bordering the territory intended for the provision of educational services.

"The situation with illicit trafficking of nicotine-containing products in the country remains critical. Our Antivape project clearly demonstrates that existing regulatory measures are not working, and businesses profiting from children's health feel unpunished. We welcome the results of our joint work with Rospotrebnadzor, but we understand that more drastic measures are needed," Ekaterina Leshchinskaya, chairman of Healthy Fatherland, explained to Izvestia.

Tobacco in retail: why licensing of cigarette sales was postponed to autumn

What will change for sellers and buyers after licensing the industry

On May 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law introducing fines for violating established prices and expiration dates for the sale of tobacco products. If the minimum or maximum retail prices are not met, the seller will be forced to pay a fine, and its amount will depend on the amount of goods sold per day. So, for the sale of up to 100 units, the fine will be 5 thousand rubles, for the sale of up to 1 thousand units — 50 thousand rubles, and up to 1 thousand units — 500 thousand rubles, respectively.

Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin announced on April 23 that an amendment is planned to be considered in May, which will give regions the authority to ban the sale of vapes. He added that 74% of the respondents were in favor of a complete ban on the sale of vapes and liquids.