A resident of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, has been fined by a district court for a comment made on the VK social media platform. The comment, reportedly questioning the presence of the Taliban and using derogatory language, was posted under a news item about the group. Authorities cited a law concerning incitement to hatred as the basis for the penalty. The news was initially reported by the Telegram channel “Ostorozhno Novosti” and subsequently covered by Meduza. This marks a reported first instance of someone being fined in Russia for criticizing the Taliban online. The case highlights increasing scrutiny of online expression and potential restrictions on commentary regarding foreign political groups. The amount of the fine was not disclosed in the initial reports.