A Russian legal expert has warned that using an illegal or extremist-related nickname in Telegram can lead to serious administrative and even criminal penalties. Lawyer Mikhail Salkin told NEWS.ru that if a username is treated as public display of extremist symbols, a user may face a fine of 1,000–2,000 rubles, up to 15 days of administrative arrest, or up to 100 hours of community service under Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences. 

For repeat violations, criminal liability under Article 282.4 of the Criminal Code applies, with fines from 600,000 to 1 million rubles, up to four years of forced labor, or imprisonment for the same term. Salkin advises avoiding abbreviations, names, slogans, symbols, or stylized variants linked to banned extremist or terrorist groups, as well as any wording that could be read as incitement to violence or hatred.

Keep an eye on the daily Telegram news from OnlyTG.