Lagatar24 Desk
Moscow, March 4: More than a week after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s media watchdog announced on Friday that it had banned access to the BBC and other independent media websites, strengthening internet regulations.
Following a request from prosecutors, Roskomnadzor restricted access to the BBC, the independent news website Meduza, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, and the Russian-language website of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Svoboda.
The prosecutors’ requests were filed on February 24, the day Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his military’s operation on Ukraine, according to the agency.
Earlier, the authorities had on Monday blocked the Ekho website and took the station off air as punishment for deliberately spreading false information about the war.
Meanwhile, Russia’s state-run news stations have emphasised Kremlin tropes about nationalism in Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of employing civilians as human shields in the conflict.
