Russian actress and television host Larisa Guzeeva has been reported to the country's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, and its antitrust watchdog, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), over an Instagram advertisement that was not labeled as sponsored content, the Telegram channel Mash reported.
According to Mash, Guzeeva posted an advertisement for weight-loss drugs containing the active ingredient tirzepatide on her Instagram account. The outlet said the post carried no marking to indicate it was an advertisement.
A lawyer who follows Guzeeva's Instagram profile noticed the post and filed complaints against the actress with both Roskomnadzor and FAS, accusing her of breaching Russia's advertising law.
Under Russian advertising law, social media posts promoting products must be clearly marked as advertisements, and both the person who publishes the post and the company that paid for it can be fined for failing to disclose it.
Fines of up to 600,000 rubles
Mash reported that the complaint states the actress and the advertiser now face fines of up to 600,000 rubles for the illegal promotion of medicinal drugs.
Guzeeva rose to fame in Soviet cinema for her lead role in the 1984 film "Cruel Romance," directed by Eldar Ryazanov, and later became one of Russia's most recognizable television personalities as host of the long-running dating show "Let's Get Married!" Instagram is owned by Meta Platforms, which Russian authorities have designated an extremist organization and banned in the country, although the app remains widely used there. FAS enforces Russia's advertising law, including rules requiring that sponsored social media posts be clearly disclosed, while Roskomnadzor oversees media and internet content nationwide. Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in prescription drugs, marketed abroad under brand names such as Mounjaro and Zepbound, used to treat type 2 diabetes and for weight management.
Guzeeva's earlier comments on weight loss
Earlier in September, Guzeeva said she was using injections to lose weight. She also made light of other show business figures who insist they slimmed down through changes to their diet alone.
