MOSCOW, January 6. /TASS/. Russia denied access to almost 21,000 websites, which spread banned information on drugs in 2019. Most of the websites were registered outside Russia, the press office of Russia’s Interior Ministry told TASS on Monday.

"From January 1 to November 30, 2019, the Main Department for Drugs Control of Russia’s Interior Ministry considered over 37,000 electronic applications, on which almost 21,000 expert decisions were made to restrict the access to the websites that were spreading banned information on drugs," the press office said.

About 7,000 expert decisions were passed in relation to specialized trade sites for the sale of drugs, the ministry said.

"It has been found that a considerable number of Internet resources are accommodated on technical sites of hosting companies located outside the Russian Federation," the ministry explained.

On an instruction from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Interior Ministry has drafted a bill that stipulates criminal liability for the propaganda of drugs in the internet. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk explained that administrative liability for the propaganda of drugs was not enough, which was evidenced by the number of the exposed facts of drugs propaganda in the Internet in Russia. Russia’s Interior Ministry will soon set up a special unit to fight drugs in the Internet.