The bill was developed by the Legislative Assembly St. Petersburg — a proposal to amend the federal law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" is being proposed. The initiative is scheduled to be introduced next week.

The explanatory note states that Orthodox churches should not be depicted without crosses, mosques without crescents, and synagogues without the Star of David, if the buildings bear the corresponding symbols. No specific punishment has yet been announced. Meanwhile, a member of the Human Rights Council Kirill Kabanov claimed, which will recommend that believers contact investigative authorities for each instance of “disappearance of crosses” to initiate a criminal case.

Authors explain development of the bill "the negative practice of depicting religious objects in altered forms." For example, "in children's books, brochures about travel to Russian cities, or in the creation of murals."

Logos, posters, murals, banknote designs, banners, advertising, educational, and other materials will be subject to control. However, according to the Russian advertising law, for example, smoking use official state and religious symbols and cultural heritage sites. 

The bill was developed amid several scandals. In May, a furor erupted over diamonds instead of crosses on the Russian coat of arms, which appeared on the Kremlin's website and Telegram channel. It was called a "presidential set-up" and a "mockery of the state symbols of 1000-year-old Christian Russia." Diamonds replaced on the crosses.  

Another major scandal occurred in 2023, when the Bank of Russia presented A new banknote featuring the Kazan Church without the cross. The building is no longer used as a church, and the cross was removed during Soviet times, but some people were still offended. The bank decided to change the banknote's design.