Russian authorities are discussing a set of restrictions on eSIM and machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM cards as part of a forthcoming anti-fraud legislative package, according to three sources in the telecoms market cited by the business daily Kommersant. The proposals would create a separate regulatory category for M2M SIMs—used in bank machines, sensors and vehicles—mandate additional user identification, and prohibit voice calls and SMS traffic on those cards. A parallel measure would ban the activation of eSIM profiles from outside Russian territory. The Ministry of Digital Development confirmed that work on a third anti-fraud package is ongoing but declined to provide details, while major operators either refused to comment or did not respond to requests.

Viewed from Moscow, the initiative serves two overlapping objectives. Industry executives point to a grey market in which M2M SIMs, officially registered to corporate entities, are resold as ordinary voice lines to avoid mandatory passport verification. Yaroslav Lubovikov, executive director of the Association of Communications Companies, told Kommersant that such cards are “often resold to end consumers under the guise of M2M” to circumvent subscriber registration rules. At the same time, the proposed eSIM restriction would close a growing workaround for internet censorship. Since Russian authorities intensified internet filtering this year, citizens have increasingly purchased foreign eSIMs from Kazakhstan, Armenia and other neighbouring states, the outlet iStories reported. These digital profiles route data through the home operator’s country via S8 Home Routing, allowing access to blocked services such as YouTube and Telegram without a virtual private network. The Federal Security Service (FSB) historically resisted the introduction of eSIM technology in Russia, only permitting its launch in 2019.

The measures extend a multi-year tightening of SIM card regulation. In late 2023, the government required operators to verify passport data against Interior Ministry databases before activation. In 2024, lawmakers obliged operators to supply Roskomnadzor, the communications watchdog, with up-to-date subscriber information. By 2025, operators had blocked more than 18 million SIMs for unreliable data or exceeding per-person limits. The State Duma is separately examining criminal and administrative penalties for illegal SIM sales and a proposal to classify SIM cards as payment instruments. Roskomnadzor’s parallel campaign to suppress reporting on Russia’s war in Ukraine—documented by iStories through 80 removal demands sent to Google, including a court ban on a project tallying military losses—illustrates the agency’s broader role in controlling information flows. A military prosecutor in the Murmansk region successfully argued that public loss counts constitute a state secret, and a lawyer cited by iStories noted a developing practice of prosecuting individuals for sharing publicly available data as “information assistance” to foreign entities.

The Russian approach contrasts with regulatory trends in the European Union, where the European Commission has published updated guidance on “Roam like at Home” and proposed extending the zero-surcharge roaming zone to several Western Balkan states. Globally, eSIM adoption is marketed as a convenience for travellers, as seen in an advertorial for Swiss-based provider Yesim in The Sydney Morning Herald. In Russia, the total number of active SIM cards stands at roughly 300 million, with M2M connections accounting for an estimated 20 per cent, or 60 million units. Domestic eSIM adoption remains modest—about 3 million virtual subscribers by mid-2023—but the foreign eSIM channel has become a significant bypass route. The third anti-fraud package is still under interagency discussion and is expected to be presented in the near future, according to the digital ministry, with no final decision yet taken.