MOSCOW, September 14 (RAPSI) — A Moscow court has fined social media companies Facebook and Twitter for failing to delete content prohibited by Russian law, Zulfiya Gurinchuk, press secretary of the Moscow’s Tagansky District court, told RAPSI.

Facebook was handed fines totalling 21 million roubles (about $288,000) while Twitter received fines of a total 5 million roubles (about $70,000).

For similar offenses, Facebook was earlier fined 26 and 17 million rubles ($356,000 and $233,000 at the current exchange rate). Twitter was fined 19 million rubles ($260,000) in May.

Russia’s communications watchdog Roskomnadzor routinely reminds that if an Internet platform fails to block the prohibited information within 24 hours after receiving the respective notification, it faces fines ranging from 800,000 to 4 million rubles ($11,000 – 55,000) and up to 10% of its total annual revenue in case of repeated violations.