Russia's consumer protection agency, Rospotrebnadzor, says 539 hotels have been fined for inflating their prices in Russian cities that are hosting 2018 FIFA World Cup matches.
In an April 6 statement, Rospotrebnadzor said the fines were imposed after nearly 11,400 hotels were inspected in the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, and Samara.
"A total number of 539 violations of hiking up accommodation prices were registered, while 110 cases were also reported in regard to hotels without the necessary certificates of compliance," the agency said, adding that the hotels were ordered to pay penalties totaling about 4.4 million rubles ($76,000).
The 2018 World Cup matches are scheduled from June 14 to July 15 in the 11 Russian cities.
The opening match, a game between Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 14, is to be held in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.