The source said that given how the cartoons had already caused a wave of protest from Muslims all over the world, including violent attacks on diplomatic and trade representatives, his service had urged the site to refrain from publishing the caricatures.
He said his service's officials had been guided by the law on mass media, which prohibited violence, cruelty and the incitement of interethnic hatred.
Gazeta.ru Editor Mikhail Mikhailin said he disagreed with the service. He said the article in question had attempted to reflect "the significant social notion of anti-Danish protests in the Muslim world." He insisted that Gazeta.ru had not incited interethnic hatred in any way.
The e-publication said it would apply to the courts to contest the reprimand, which obliges Gazeta.ru to immediately rectify the situation to avoid "a real threat to public security".
A representative of the media watchdog acknowledged that the reprimand could be contested in court but said the publication could be stripped of its license if it had three reprimands in a year.
A newspaper in the regional center of Volgograd was closed down in February after it published a cartoon featuring the Prophet Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha and Moses.
Russia is home to more than 20 million Muslims.
