Passengers in the Moscow Metro may now be subject to selective inspections of their mobile phones as part of additional security measures, according to the Moscow Metro, cited by the Moscow news agency.
Metro officials said the checks will be carried out on a selective basis and are intended to enhance passenger safety. At the same time, all passengers are still required to undergo standard screening through metal detector gates.
According to the metro’s press service, the new measure is based on Order No. 34 issued by Russia’s Ministry of Transport on February 4, 2025. The document allows for the inspection of electronic devices by switching them on and confirming their operability. However, the procedures for conducting such checks, as well as clarification on who is authorized to carry them out — metro security staff or police officers — have not been publicly specified.
Earlier, authorities in St. Petersburg announced the introduction of similar security measures. The city’s Vice Governor Kirill Polyakov said at the time that security in the metro system was being tightened and urged passengers to treat the requirements of metro staff with understanding.
At the same time, in the summer of 2025, Sergei Boyarsky, head of the State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament) Committee on Information Policy, emphasized that police officers and traffic police are not authorized to stop citizens and inspect their smartphones for prohibited content.
