MOSCOW, April 8 (UPI) -- Russian media outlets will now face as much as $6,340 in fines for foul language, the Kremlin announced Monday.
The law also mandated individuals found distributing any media that contains obscene language will be fined $95 while officials will be given fines of $634, The Moscow Times reported.
However, the law does not say what words or phrases are banned. Sergei Zheleznyak, a deputy from the ruling United Russia party and a co-author of the bill, said adding such a list would have been "senseless."
The bill, which contains a note that it is aimed at protecting children, faced little opposition in both the Duma and the Federation Council.
Dissenter Deputy Boris Resnik of United Russia, questioned what prompted the bill.
"What provoked this bill? What happened? Not a single serious, sane media outlet uses obscene language in its pages," Resnik said.
