A court in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia has imposed a fine of just under $40 on the country’s first individual charged with searching for extremist materials online, according to the independent news outlet Mediazona on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old Sergei Glukhikh was arrested in September shortly after a new law took effect that month, raising alarms about increased surveillance and the potential for misuse by law enforcement.

Enacted by President Vladimir Putin over the summer, this legislation set fines of up to 5,000 rubles (approximately $65) for anyone “knowingly” seeking extremist content online, even through VPNs.

As reported by the Russian news source Daily Storm, a police officer involved in the case stated that an FSB officer observed Glukhikh searching for extremist material while they were both on a bus.

Initially, Glukhikh faced allegations of researching Ukraine’s Azov Brigade and the Russian Volunteer Corps, but the judge sent the case back for clarification due to a confusion regarding Russia’s numerous extremist material registries.

Ultimately, Glukhikh was only prosecuted for searching for the Azov Brigade.

On Wednesday, the Krasnogorsky District Court in Kamensk-Uralsky found him guilty and levied a fine of 3,000 rubles (around $38).

Glukhikh, who did not appear at his sentencing, has maintained his innocence and accused the authorities of trying to intimidate him.

The Azov Brigade was established in 2014 as a far-right volunteer paramilitary group combating pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, and was subsequently restructured and incorporated into Ukraine’s national guard.

In 2022, Russia’s Supreme Court declared it a “terrorist” organization, leading to severe penalties for its captured members in Russia.

Moscow has referenced the Azov Brigade’s historical extremist associations to justify what it describes as its “denazification” efforts in Ukraine.