MOSCOW, September 4 (RAPSI) – Russia’s food safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor announced on Thursday that the total fines which have been imposed during the first half of the year on perpetrators for violations of anti-tobacco legislation amount to 28 million rubles (over $750,000).

The antismoking law, which bans smoking in public, in particular in government buildings, healthcare and educational facilities, at cultural sites and sports facilities and on public transport, including railway stations and airports, was adopted in 2013 to protect public health from the hazardous effects of tobacco smoke and smoking.

The law provides for a staged introduction of antismoking measures, first banning smoking at stadiums, in schools, universities, hospitals and stores, at children’s playgrounds, as well as in lifts, on airplanes and at filling stations. It also banned tobacco advertizing and commercials.

The law became effective on June 1. It also prohibits the display of tobacco products at the point of sale in stores and smoking scenes on screen and on stage. Social anti-tobacco ads must accompany the broadcasting of old films that include smoking scenes.

Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement that about 3,600 individuals, 970 officials, 518 sole operators and 456 legal entities were called to account for violating the antismoking law in the first six months of 2014.

The total amount of fines reached about 28 million rubles. In particular, 2,900 people were fined about 2 million rubles ($53,590) for smoking at prohibited sites, in particular children’s playgrounds.

Fines worth 17.5 million rubles ($468,915) were collected from 1,960 people for violating the new rules of selling tobacco products, 555 of them for selling cigarettes to minors.