The Ministry of Digital Development is discussing tighter rules for the sale of SIM cards on electronic platforms, Kommersant reports. The ministry proposes allowing trade only to telecom operators and their official dealers in order to curb illegal circulation and telephone fraud.
According to the publication, Ozon has already sent requests to operators to approve sellers trading SIM cards. The marketplace intends to keep only verified sellers on the platform. The Ministry of Digital Development explained that criminals often acquire numbers registered to straw persons for criminal purposes. Although the law, effective from September 1, 2025, prohibits transferring SIM cards to third parties (the fine for citizens is up to 50 thousand rubles), in practice schemes involving mass registration to straw persons persist.
The sale of non-activated SIM cards on marketplaces remains legal. Their registration and activation take place after identity verification through Gosuslugi or at an operator's retail store. According to Telecom Daily data for 2025, about 17% of SIM card sales come through online channels (marketplaces and operator delivery). In 2025, at the request of Roskomnadzor, operators blocked 18.45 million SIM cards, 76% more than a year earlier. Also, since 2025, Russians cannot register more than 20 SIM cards in their own name, and foreigners no more than 10.
Vympelkom noted that it works only through official stores and verified partners; however, the market has seen cases of sales of pre-activated M2M-SIMs, which violates the law. Ozon, Wildberries, MegaFon, MTS, and T2 declined to comment.