The US has accused Russia of waging a “full war on media freedom and the truth” by restricting independent news sites and preventing Russians from receiving news of the invasion of Ukraine.
The State Department claimed in a statement that “Russia’s government is also throttling Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram platforms that tens of millions of Russia’s citizens rely on to access independent information and opinions.”
Several Russian and Ukrainian media outlets were restricted by Russia’s official communications and media watchdog Roskomnadzor over their coverage of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian publication, The New Times, was prohibited from reporting information concerning Russian military deaths in Ukraine that the Russian Defence Ministry had not publicised.
Russian authorities have also put pressure on the media to present the invasion in precise conformity with the official narrative, dismissing stories that referred to Russia’s attack on Ukraine as an “invasion” or “a war.”
After a notice from the authorities, the website of Current Time, a Russian TV station founded by the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that has been critical of President Putin, was taken offline on Sunday.