Fine for journalists’ post about closed bomb shelters becomes signal to Rostov media

A fine in the amount of 3 million roubles imposed on a founder of the Rostov “DonDay.ru” publication for a post about bomb shelters being closed during a drone attack is connected with the authorities’ dissatisfaction with such journalists’ materials, which cause outcry in society. The fine has been imposed “at its maximum,” and that fact became a warning to the media.

The fact that the “Smart Media” LLC, the founder of the “DonDay.ru” publication, was fined 3 million roubles for the post about the bomb shelters being closed in the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky on the night of October 11, 2024, became known from the decision of the court of appeal, posted on the official website of the Rostov Regional Court.

The authorities have made it clear to everyone that they should not publish information about bomb shelters being closed or being absent at all.

Journalists’ materials about closed bomb shelters raise a wave of negative reaction in the society, so media outlets will continue to be fined for such posts, Candidate of Political Sciences Dmitry Abrasimov believes.

“The Rostov Region is a border area adjacent to the special military operation (SMO) zone. When drone attacks began here, problems like closed bomb shelters came to light. The authorities have made it clear to everyone that they should not publish information about bomb shelters being closed or being absent at all. However, some media outlets, despite the above, continued to highlight the problems. One of them has been fined. Such decisions are intended to prevent any entries like that from being posted again,” Dmitry Abrasimov told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

The expert believes that it will be difficult for the publication, but it will be able to pay the fine.

“They have turnover. They are able to pay the fine and continue working. It will be difficult for them, of course, but the media outlet will not be closed. This is actually one of the branches of the ‘Bloknot’ publication. Then they became an independent media outlet with a clear opposition bias,” Dmitry Abrasimov noted.

A Rostov correspondent for one of the federal media outlets told the “Caucasian Knot” that the journalistic community was surprised by the size of the fine.

“This is a very large fine for any local media outlet. We are all surprised. Most likely, such a decision is aimed at making all other media outlets extremely careful about what they post,” noted the journalist who preferred to remain anonymous.

According to his version, the media outlets from the regions bordering the special military operation (SMO) zone are under close attention of the authorities.

“Posts of the media outlets from the regions bordering the special military operation zone are being monitored by the authorities doubly actively, and at any opportunity, the media outlets will be punished for posting the information undesirable for the authorities,” the journalist noted.

The size of the fine also surprised media lawyer Svetlana Kuzevanova.

“Of course, the size of the fine is surprising. Courts and supervisory authorities rarely impose sanctions at the maximum right away. Perhaps, the authorities suggested that in this case, the possible threat to the lives and safety of citizens was very significant. Although whether the imposed fine is proportionate to the consequences of disseminating such information is a big question,” media lawyer Svetlana Kuzevanova told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

No one remembers the right of journalists to use different sources and not wait for permission from the authorities to publish information.

Svetlana Kuzevanova believes that it is very difficult for the media to prove the veracity of the information in court proceedings.

“Unfortunately, in cases on fakes, it is extremely difficult for the media to prove the veracity of their information. Significant information often comes from a wide variety of sources, including anonymous ones. However, the practice of combating fakes shows that the only possible and acceptable evidence of the veracity of information is considered to be official statements and positions of the authorities. Everything else is not taken into account. At the same time, no one remembers the right of journalists to use different sources and not wait for permission from the authorities to publish information,” the media lawyer noted.

As follows from the ruling of the Rostov Regional Court, the fine has been imposed on the “Smart Media” LLC under the administrative article on abuse of freedom of the media (Part 10.1 of Article 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation: dissemination of knowingly false information under the guise of reliable information about circumstances that pose a threat to the lives and safety of citizens, and (or) about measures taken to ensure the safety of the population and territories). The court has imposed the maximum fine on the “Smart Media” LLC under the above article, although it provides for a fine ranging from 500,000 to 3 million roubles.

In an appeal filed against the court’s decision, representatives of the “Smart Media” LLC claimed that the information contained in the publication’s material was not knowingly false, since it was obtained from an open source on the Internet, that was, from a community page on the “VKontakte” social networking service. The appeal also claims that the “Smart Media” LLC did not have information about the unreliability of the data posted on the “VKontakte” social networking service. The representatives of the “Smart Media” LLC also note that the court’s decision against which the appeal is being lodged does not contain any conclusions about how the closure of a bomb shelter at an address that is not listed in the Federal Information Address System poses a threat to the lives and safety of citizens.

The representatives of the “Smart Media” LLC also claim that after the material was posted, the publication’s editors conducted an inspection, during which it was discovered that no multi-storey building was located at the address indicated in the “VKontakte” social networking service, after which the post was removed and a refutation was published.

The court’s decision notes that, according to the information from the city administration, on the night of October 11, 2024, no air raid siren was sounded in the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky at the address indicated in the journalists’ material, no warning system was activated, and no correspondents of the “Smart Media” LLC did contact the city administration with a request concerning the operation of the bomb shelter. At the same time, two months after the journalists’ material was posted, on December 16, 2024, it remained on the publication’s website. The court upheld the decision on the fine.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 24, 2025 at 05:51 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.