The number of internet users in Russia who pay for online content now stands at 18 million.
This, according Alexei Volin, the deputy minister of communications, quoted by Tass and AKTR, is 6 million more than last year.
Moreover, the figure in 2012 stood at only around 4 million.
Volin added that this growth was down to the fight against piracy on the internet, with hundreds of sites already blocked and the number continuing to increase.
However, Volin also said that rights holders should also act against piracy by applying to courts to have their sites blocked.
Although domestic copyright holders are now working actively and effectively, their foreign counterparts have still to do so.
