Russia's media watchdog has warned Russian media against "fanning sectarian tensions in Russian society" by republishing Charlie Hebdo cartoons that depict the Prophet Muhammad.

In a statement on its Facebook page January 13, Roskomnadzor said it had conducted "preventative work" with Russian media outlets and has reminded them about laws prohibiting the use of mass media for "extremist activity."

Roskomnadzor said it encouraged Russian media to use "other forms of solidarity" with the victims of last week's extremist Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris.

A Russian journalist in Kamchatka published a letter from Roskomnadzor on Facebook that says distribution or even publication of hyperlinks to caricatures of religious figures would be seen as a violation of the law.

Charlie Hebdo on January 13 revealed the cover of its January 14 edition, featuring a caricature of a tearful Prophet Muhhamad holding a sign that reads "Je Suis Charlie" and the headline "All Is Forgiven."