A Moscow court fined the publication “Abzats” and its editor-in-chief Mikhail Shakhnazarov 315,000 rubles over a July note about a possible new increase in the retirement age. Shakhnazarov was fined 65,000 rubles, and the publication — 250,000 rubles; after the court decision, the material was removed.
In the note, economist Alexander Razuvaev said that the retirement age could be raised by another five years in the future, linking this to the demographic situation and the burden on the benefits system. A court in Moscow ruled to fine both “Abzats” itself and its editor-in-chief Mikhail Shakhnazarov.
Roskomnadzor concluded that the article was of a “knowingly false nature” because it was based on an expert comment rather than official statements from authorized persons. The court also noted that the information was presented “in the form of a statement of fact and event”, and that its dissemination, according to the ruling, misled citizens and could affect public consciousness.
The defense insisted that the author of the material merely quoted the opinion of an expert — a candidate of sciences — and that such a forecast cannot be verified because it concerns the future. Shakhnazarov was charged with a violation under the Administrative Code article on abuse of freedom of mass information, and the publication was fined under the same article.
In 2018, Vladimir Putin announced a phased increase in the retirement age — from 60 to 65 for men and from 55 to 60 for women. In November 2025, the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences warned that the effect of this reform would be exhausted within the next 20 years, and by 2045 the pension system would again have to be changed because of population aging and the growing burden on the budget.
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