Smoking ban

As of June 1, 2013 smoking in Russia has been banned in offices, work zones, public buildings, schools, medical institutions, entranceways, elevators, children's play areas, on public transport, beaches, and inside or anywhere within 50 feet of an entrance to subways, airports and rail stations. The sale of cigarettes is prohibited inside a 330-feet radius of educational establishments.

The penalty for violation of the law is a fine of up to 1,500 rubles ($47) for individual smokers and up to 90,000 rubles ($2,800) for legal entities. A full ban is also in force on cigarette advertising in printed media and online. In addition, as of June 12, packs of cigarettes will display graphic warnings of the consequences of smoking.

Lack of police control is cited as one of the reasons why Russia’s efforts to limit smoking in public spaces will likely have little effect on the habits of its citizens.