A new law aiming to limit smoking in public places and banning the sale of tobacco to minors came into force in January, but is already being dismissed as toothless and irrelevant by state deputies and smokers alike.

President Vladimir Putin signed the bill into law in June after a heated debate in the Duma. It prohibits smoking in public places, educational institutions, cultural centers and public transport, including aircraft on flights of less than three hours.

Other clauses enforcing new production methods to reduce the quantity of tar in cigarettes will take effect in two years.

The principal fault in the law, the latest in a series of anti-smoking measures by the state, is that no penalties for infringements can yet be enforced, as no amendments have been made to the Administrative Code.

A proposal to set out penalties for breaking the law is held up in the Duma, and is unlikely to be passed soon.

Even the police are unclear about what to do. Yelena Davidova of the City Police Department for Crimes Against Minors confirmed the existence of the law but declined to comment on how the police would enforce it.

Nikolai Gerashchenko, the State Duma Health and Sports Committee chairman, praised the new restrictions as a positive step, in line with international practices worldwide.

"We are against popularizing the image of a smoker as a successful person. People, especially teenagers, ought to know that smoking is also associated with people such as drug addicts, who have totally failed in their life objectives," he said.

Teenage smokers themselves are not concerned about the implications of the new law.

"We have not heard of this law, but I’m sure we will always find ways to smoke," said Kostya, a 13-year-old who has been puffing for more than a year.

The majority of his classmates are also regular smokers, he added.

The tobacco industry has downplayed the impact of the law.

"We don’t expect any negative effect on sales due to restrictions on sales to minors, since they have never been a target in our marking policy," said Vladimir Aksionov, British American Tobacco’s corporate affairs director.

"It is unlikely to have any tangible effect on the 40 percent of adults who are smokers," he added.