COVID-19 fines show a positive trend. Comment by Elena Izotova.

Russian courts started to overturn previous punishments for violating the self-isolation and quarantine regime. In Ufa, at the request of the prosecutor's office, a fine of 15 thousand rubles was canceled against Ruslan Sharifullin, who went out into the courtyard at night. Ruslan Sharifullin was the first Russian citizen to be punished under Part 2 of Article 6.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, which was specially adopted to combat the spread of COVID-19. Lawyers say that thesoftening of law enforcement is also noticeable in other regions: it is possible to impose such a severe punishment only in relation to those who got sick with the virus  or  had contact with infected persons. In the nearest future the Supreme Court will instruct lower-level judges on this matter. The supervising department declared that the police was wring in qualifying the violation: it falls within Part 1 of Article 20.6.1 of the Administrative Code. In addition, since April 1, these categories of cases are considered by district courts and not by magistrates' courts.