Anna Hartz
Drone attacks in Russia have become a regular part of the war, but authorities are also trying to control what people can show after such strikes.
A new court case in St. Petersburg shows how quickly that approach is spreading.
A court in St. Petersburg has issued the city’s first fine for publishing footage showing the aftermath of a drone attack, local authorities said on August 18.
Russian restrictions on publishing footage
A local resident was ordered to pay 4,000 rubles, about $47, after posting a video online following a large Ukrainian drone attack on the city on July 24, reports the Kyiv Independent. Authorities did not say exactly what appeared in the video.
Russia introduced restrictions on publishing images and videos of drone strikes and other attacks without official permission in January 2025. Officials say the rules are needed to stop false information from spreading.
The St. Petersburg case follows a similar ruling in Russia’s Tula region. In May, a local resident was fined 25,000 rubles, about $294, for filming and posting a video of a Ukrainian drone strike. It was the first fine issued under the new law.
The July 24 attack on St. Petersburg was part of a wider wave of Ukrainian drone strikes across Russia. Logistics facilities belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, were among the sites reportedly hit.
Warehouses belonging to the company in St. Petersburg and Tver were reportedly damaged. A facility in Russian-occupied Crimea was also reported to have been hit.
Recent attacks near Moscow
Wildberries has been targeted several times in recent months. Another warehouse near Moscow was reportedly damaged during a large Ukrainian drone attack on August 18.
Two days earlier, an even larger attack on Moscow Oblast damaged the company’s biggest warehouse. The facility covers around 250,000 square metres.
The repeated strikes have drawn attention to Wildberries because the company sells some military-related equipment on its platform. Products available through the marketplace include drone components and body armor.
The company’s banking arm was also sanctioned by the European Union in July. The EU said the financial activity contributed to Russia’s state budget.
The growing number of fines shows how Russian authorities are tightening restrictions on information about Ukrainian attacks. People who record or share footage can now face penalties even when they are not directly involved in the fighting.
For residents, that means posting a video of what happened after a strike can carry a real legal risk.
