A government council recommended examining a generational restriction covering several nicotine and tobacco products. The proposal has been sent to relevant ministries for review.
Participants in the Health and Healthy Lifestyle section of the Government Council on Guardianship in the Social Sphere proposed considering a generational restriction on sales of vapes, electronic cigarettes, snuff and chewing tobacco, and hookah tobacco. Vedomosti reported the recommendation after reviewing the round-table document, whose authenticity was confirmed to the newspaper by representatives of Deputy Council Chair Pyotr Rodionov and a relevant ministry.
The measure could apply to people born after January 1, 2009, and remain in force after they reach adulthood. The recommendations also ask agencies to examine mandatory nicotine-harm warnings on vape and e-cigarette devices and limits on flavorings, colorants and ingredients that increase dependence in cigarette production. Relevant ministries are expected to submit their positions by the end of 2026.
Russia already prohibits sales of vapes to minors, including devices with nicotine-free liquids. A law signed by Vladimir Putin in April 2023 also banned remote sales and open displays. Regional restrictions are under discussion or have been adopted: Omsk Oblast proposed a retail ban from March 1, 2027, to March 1, 2032, while the Saratov Regional Duma adopted a five-year ban on July 22.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in August that Perm Krai, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Penza Oblast and North Ossetia had also adopted vape-sale bans. A federal law passed by the State Duma in June 2026 gives regions authority to impose such restrictions from March 1, 2027; Putin signed it later that month.
Generational tobacco restrictions are already in place elsewhere. Since November 1, 2025, the Maldives has barred people born on or after January 1, 2007, including tourists, from buying or using tobacco products. Vapes and electronic cigarettes are prohibited there at every age. In the United Kingdom, a law passed in 2026 will prohibit tobacco sales from January 1, 2027, to people born on or after January 1, 2009, with the restriction continuing after they reach adulthood.