FAS fines under Article 14.3 reach 500,000 rubles.
Five banned ad claims, mandatory disclaimer rules, and out-of-court website blocking by Rospotrebnadzor
The warning that a dietary supplement is not a medicine was long treated by advertisers as a formality. In March 2024, the Saint Petersburg territorial office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) fined Yandex 650,000 rubles across two episodes because this phrase was missing from contextual ads for dietary supplements. The fine came after a complaint and an investigation that dragged on for months, by which point the ads had already generated clicks and sales.
Regulators now have a second, much faster enforcement channel. Since September 2025, Rospotrebnadzor can block a website advertising prohibited dietary supplements without going to court, and since November of the same year it has worked under formally approved blocking criteria. Legacy ad copy that passed platform moderation for years is worth reviewing in advance. The algorithm now catches a violation faster than a competitor’s complaint can arrive.
How It Was. Fines After Complaints, Ads Removed Only Through the Courts
Article 25 of Federal Law No. 38-FZ of March 13, 2006, «On Advertising» (hereinafter, Law No. 38-FZ), was already in force before these changes. Dietary supplement advertising was not allowed to create the impression of medicinal properties, reference specific cases of cure, display consumer testimonials, or present third-party study results as a direct recommendation for use. Every violation led to a fine under Part 5, Article 14.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (hereinafter, the Administrative Code): 200,000 to 500,000 rubles for a legal entity.
The mechanism, however, stayed reactive. FAS opened a case on a complaint or on its own initiative, the review dragged on for months, and the website carrying the non-compliant ad kept running until the decision took effect. Access to the page could only be cut off through a court, and for an online dietary supplement store that process took even longer than the FAS review itself.
How It Is Now. Out-of-Court Blocking and a Digital Trail for Every Unit
Federal Law No. 150-FZ of June 7, 2025, «On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation» (hereinafter, Law No. 150-FZ), took effect on September 1, 2025, and changed three things at once. It banned distributing information about unlabeled dietary supplements, introduced a mechanism for out-of-court website blocking for offers to sell prohibited supplements, and gave medical professionals the right to prescribe registered, safe dietary supplements to specific categories of patients.
The blocking procedure was set out in Rospotrebnadzor Order No. 768 of November 1, 2025 (hereinafter, Order No. 768), registered with the Ministry of Justice on November 18, 2025, under No. 84193, and effective November 29, 2025. The order lists what puts a page on the unified register of prohibited information: retail offers to sell supplements whose sale is banned, information on remote sales of such supplements, and data identifying the seller of illegal products. Rospotrebnadzor makes the blocking decision; Roskomnadzor handles the technical addition to the register.
Blocking picked up pace quickly. By the end of January 2026, the agency had cut off access to more than 200 websites, and by mid-February the count had already reached the thousands. The checks cover not only standalone online stores but also product listings on marketplaces.
Data Matrix labeling (a two-dimensional barcode that tracks a product’s movement from manufacturer to buyer) is formally separate from advertising rules. At the same time, it determines what can legally be advertised in the first place. Since September 1, 2025, unit-level tracking has applied to supplements on the active list: every unit gets its own code and is reported through electronic document workflow. Government Decree No. 1953 of November 28, 2025 (hereinafter, Decree No. 1953) expanded the list of labeled supplements from March 1, 2026, adding fish oil and enzyme preparations registered as dietary supplements.
Federal Law No. 289-FZ of July 31, 2025, «On Certain Issues of Regulating the Platform Economy in the Russian Federation» (hereinafter, Law No. 289-FZ), takes effect October 1, 2026. It requires marketplaces to check registration and labeling documents before publishing a product listing. A listing without confirmed registration or the required code will not be allowed to go live.
| Parameter | Before (until September 2025) | Now (2025-2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Blocking a website advertising prohibited supplements | Court order required | Out of court, by Rospotrebnadzor decision (Order No. 768) |
| A doctor prescribing supplements to a patient | No dedicated legal basis | Doctors may prescribe registered supplements to specific patient categories (Law No. 150-FZ) |
| Supplements subject to Data Matrix labeling | Limited list, since March 1, 2025 | Expanded to include fish oil and enzyme preparations (Decree No. 1953) |
| Marketplace review of a product listing | Formal, no registration check | Mandatory before publication (Law No. 289-FZ, from October 1, 2026) |
Which Phrases Get Ads Taken Down
Part 1, Article 25 of Law No. 38-FZ sets out five prohibitions, and complaints most often target the first and the last. Dietary supplement advertising must not:
create the impression that the supplement has the medicinal properties of a drug
reference specific cases of cure or improved health after use
carry consumer testimonials of gratitude tied to using the supplement
discourage a healthy diet
create an impression of advantage by citing studies required for state registration, or present results of other studies as a direct recommendation for use
In practice, the ban catches verbs like «cures,» «heals,» «eliminates,» and «prevents» placed next to a named condition, along with direct comparisons to pharmacy medicines and unqualified promises of results. Part 1.1 of the same article requires a separate warning in every single ad without exception: the advertised item is not a medicinal product. The law sets the warning’s duration and size by format: at least 3 seconds on radio, at least 5 seconds and 7% of the frame on TV and video, and at least 10% of the ad space in print and outdoor advertising.
Digital formats need separate attention. Part 16, Article 14.3 of the Administrative Code fines internet advertising without an assigned identifier (erid) at 200,000-500,000 rubles for a legal entity, and Part 15 of the same article fines failure to report such advertising to Roskomnadzor, also up to 500,000 rubles. These rules apply to any online advertising. For supplements, mostly promoted through contextual ads and social media, they create risk in nearly every placement.
Part 2, Article 15.12 of the Administrative Code separately sets a fine of 50,000-300,000 rubles with confiscation of goods for selling unlabeled supplements. This rule checks the packaging itself. A fine applies even with flawless ad copy if the packaging carries no Data Matrix code.
What To Do
Check ad copy against the five prohibitions in Part 1, Article 25. Remove therapeutic verbs, references to diagnoses, and consumer testimonials. Review every active creative by the end of the quarter, not just new ones.
Check that the warning is present and correctly sized in every format. Video needs at least 5 seconds and 7% of the frame, radio at least 3 seconds, print and outdoor at least 10% of the space. A missing warning brings a fine of 200,000-500,000 rubles even if the ad copy itself is compliant.
Audit your supplement portfolio against labeling deadlines. Flag SKUs with fish oil and enzyme preparations separately: unit-level tracking and Data Matrix codes become mandatory for them on March 1, 2026, under Decree No. 1953.
Check marketplace listings for supporting documents. The obligation for platforms to verify supplement registration under Law No. 289-FZ formally starts only on October 1, 2026. Listings without a certificate of state registration already risk being blocked under Order No. 768.
Assign someone to monitor online ad identifiers. Every placement needs an erid, and the data must reach Roskomnadzor on time, or a fine under Parts 15 and 16, Article 14.3 of the Administrative Code will apply regardless of the ad’s content.
Out-of-court blocking and wider labeling requirements are pulling out of the market the part of dietary supplement advertising that used to rely on the regulator’s slow response. For companies with full documentation on their supplements and ad copy that stays within Article 25, Rospotrebnadzor’s expanded powers add no risk. Those who counted on months of litigation as a buffer will need to revise their advertising strategy faster than before.
Regulatory Framework:
1. Federal Law No. 289-FZ of July 31, 2025, «On Certain Issues of Regulating the Platform Economy in the Russian Federation»
2. Federal Law No. 38-FZ of March 13, 2006, «On Advertising,» Article 25
3. Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, Articles 14.3 and 15.12
4. Federal Law No. 150-FZ of June 7, 2025, «On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation»
5. Rospotrebnadzor Order No. 768 of November 1, 2025
6. Government Decree No. 1953 of November 28, 2025