A new Russian law will fine citizens up to 5,000 rubles for searching online for "extremist" content, raising concerns over digital privacy and self-censorship.
Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has approved legislation punishing online searches for extremist materials, a move critics say will heighten censorship and jeopardise digital freedoms.
The law targets individuals who intentionally seek out extremist content, including through VPNs, with fines reaching up to 5,000 rubles. The Ministry of Justice’s list of extremist materials spans over 500 pages and includes organisations such as Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund and U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, may soon be designated as restricted software. Lawmakers have warned the platform to prepare for a possible exit from Russia, further narrowing the digital space.
Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev said authorities must prove intent, not mere access. Still, rights groups say the law’s vagueness could spur abuse. Yekaterina Mizulina of the League for a Safe Internet called the wording unclear and warned it may lead to fraud and extortion.
Critics like Roskomsvoboda’s Sarkis Darbinyan see the law as a tool to instil fear and increase self-censorship, with users likely to abandon apps and online communities.
Although the law still awaits approval from the Federation Council before taking effect on 1 September, it has already sparked political pushback. Opposition figure Boris Nadezhdin protested outside the Duma, vowing to challenge the law's advancement.
Unusually, 14.9% of lawmakers voted against the bill, with 22 abstaining—indicating a level of dissent rarely seen in Russia’s legislative process.
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Russian grain is once again moving by rail to Armenia along a route that had been closed for decades. The latest freight train departed from Baku on 9 March carrying hundreds of tonnes of grain.
Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Saturday (7 March), damaging infrastructure and killing at least 10 people, including two children, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city in the early hours of Saturday (7 March) killed 10 people, including two children. Kharkiv mayor, Ihor Terekov, said 10 residents died after a Russian ballistic missile hit a five storey apartment block in the city.
Escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. are raising economic concerns across Central Asia. Although the region lies far from the conflict, its economies remain closely tied to global energy markets and trade routes linked to the Persian Gulf.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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