In Russia, a fine was imposed over a car license plate containing the letters AUE, recognizing it as “extremist symbolism.” This is already the second such case

In Russia, a fine was imposed over a car license plate containing the letters AUE, recognizing it as "extremist symbolism." This is already the second such case

A court in the Moscow region fined local resident Maksim Yarmamedov one thousand rubles for publishing a photograph of an Audi A8 with the license plate A547UE77. Verstka found the corresponding ruling in the court database.

According to the document, Yarmamedov posted the photo on his VK page in June 2025, and in March 2026 officers from the Interior Ministry's criminal investigations department noticed the image. What drew the security forces' attention was the car's license plate: they decided that it contained the abbreviation "A.U.E.," referring to the movement of the same name, which has been recognized as extremist in Russia.

As a result, a protocol was drawn up against Yarmamedov for displaying extremist symbols (Part 1, Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code). In court, the man admitted guilt in committing the offense. He said that "he posted the photograph with the above-mentioned state license plates on his page in order to demonstrate the letters 'AUE,' since those letters on the state plate reminded him of the abbreviation 'A.U.E.'"

Verstka was unable to find the image for which Yarmamedov was fined, but there are photographs online of other cars with the license plate A547UE77.

🟦This is at least the second case in which residents of Russia have been fined over photos of car license plates with the abbreviation AUE. The first fine became known about in August of last year. At that time, a Moscow resident was given a fine of 2,000 rubles for a photo of a "G-Wagen" with the license plate A777UE.

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