Russian President Vladimir Putin is not f*cking around.
The president signed a new law on Monday that will prohibit cursing in music, books, movies and at entertainment events throughout the country as of July 1. Existing books, CDs and hard copies of movies that contain curse words provide a warning label about the obscene language. Anyone who breaks the law is subject to a fine.
Violating the new policy can cost an individual $56 to $70, according to Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS. Officials can be fined $112 to $140 and businesses would be charged $1,117 to $1,396. Repeated violations will come with higher costs.
Russian officials will decide what qualifies as cursing in case of a dispute, but the New Yorker reports that the law centers around the "four pillars" of mat, a Russian word for especially obscene profanity. One of those words translates into something like "whore," and you can read about the other three here.
Several media outlets report that the crackdown on dirty language is Putin's next step in building a brand of Russian conservatism that sits in stark contrast to the open society of many Western nations such as the United States. He has also recently signed laws outlawing "gay propaganda" and tightening press freedoms.
The Russian government will reportedly stay out of the artistic process of musicians, performers and other artists, so they will be free to break the law and invite fines. That said, it is obviously unclear how the Russian government will actually enforce the new regulation.