The Russian communications regulator has demanded this Google restores access to its state-sponsored YouTube media channels in Ukraine after accusing Facebook and other major technology companies of “censorship” to limit its programs.
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media regulator, said on Sunday that it had written a letter to Alphabet Inc., Google and YouTube’s parent company, demanding that all restrictions imposed on state media such as RBC, TV Zvezda and Sputnik be lifted.
YouTube blocked access to state media channels on Saturday at the request of the Ukrainian government, which Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed to Twitter early saturday morning local time.
“We intend to help the Russians and the world learn the truth. I contacted @YouTube to block Russian propaganda channels – such as Russia 24, TASS, RIA Novosti. If they are afraid to tell the truth, we must stop this flow of poisonous lies, “he wrote in his tweet.
Russia’s communications regulator has asked Google to restore access to its state-sponsored YouTube media channels in Ukraine. Above, President Vladimir Putin spoke at the National Space Agency in Moscow on Sunday
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media regulator, said Sunday it had written a letter to Alphabet Inc., Google and YouTube’s parent company seeking to remove all restrictions imposed on state media such as RBC (YouTube homepage, pictured on -up)
YouTube blocked access to state media channels on Saturday at the request of the Ukrainian government
“In response to a request from the government, we have restricted access to RT and a number of other channels in Ukraine. We will continue to monitor the news and may take further action, “a YouTube spokesman told Axios on Saturday.
The spokesman said that YouTube was also “interrupting the ability of a number of channels to generate revenue from YouTube, including several Russian channels related to recent sanctions” due to “emergency circumstances in Ukraine”.
A YouTube spokesman also said the company would “significantly limit recommendations for these channels”.
Just hours before YouTube’s move, Google announced it was blocking Russian state-run media channels from selling ads.
The move came hours after Google, which is owned by Google, said it was blocking Russian state-run media channels, including RT, from selling YouTube ads worldwide or making them available in Ukraine.
Russian forces enter Ukraine’s second-largest city, Ukraine, today after failing in a night-long effort to take control of the capital, Kiev
YouTube has also restricted Russian state media from monetizing sanctions against the country
Following another request from the Ukrainian government, Google also removed the Russian state television network RT, formerly known as Russia Today, from its Google Play Store in Ukraine.
YouTube has removed hundreds of channels and thousands of videos in the past few days that violated its policies by participating in “coordinated fraud.” CNN reported.
Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner also pressured YouTube on Friday, writing a letter saying his staff could see RT earn from the platform.
Warner said he had warned the Justice Department and the Treasury Department to report that the platform had allowed sanctioned entities to generate revenue, CNN reported.
Alphabet is not the only major technology company to infuriate Russian despot Vladimir Putin, as Meta said he forbade Russian state media from running ads or providing revenue from Facebook content.
Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Facebook’s security policy, announced the ban on Twitter on Saturday, writing: “We now ban Russian state media from running ads or earning revenue from our platform anywhere in the world.
“We also continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media. These changes have already begun to take effect and will continue over the weekend.
Putin ordered a “partial” blockade of Facebook on Friday, with Kremlin officials saying it was a response to the technology giant’s “censorship” of its state media.
The EU has also taken action against Russian state media, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference Sunday that RT would be banned in the EU.
“We will ban the Kremlin’s media machine in the EU. “State-owned Russia Today and Sputnik and their subsidiaries will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war,” she said.
YouTube has also removed hundreds of channels and thousands of videos in the last few days for “coordinated fraud.” Above was a protest against the war, which took place in Pushkin Square in Moscow on Friday
A man was carrying a banner during an anti-war protest in Moscow, Russia on Friday
“We are developing tools to ban their toxic and harmful misinformation in Europe,” she added, but did not provide further details.
Russia’s media regulator is cracking down on the country’s own media, ordering the media to remove reports describing the Kremlin’s attack as “attacking, invading or declaring war” or to block and fine a person.
In a statement, Roskomnadzor accused several independent media outlets, including the Dozhd TV channel and the country’s leading independent newspaper, of spreading “unreliable socially significant false information” about the shelling of Ukrainian cities by the Russian army and the deaths of civilians.
Citing a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the communications regulator said the media, which included Echo of Moscow radio, would be blocked unless “unreliable information” was removed.
“Roskomnadzor has also launched an administrative investigation into the dissemination of unreliable socially significant information from the aforementioned media,” the supervisory body said. The crime is punishable by a fine of up to 5 million rubles ($ 60,000), the statement said.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said today that it had killed more than 4,300 Russian soldiers in the first three days of fighting. Russia has not released up-to-date information on its military losses. Above, a fighter from the Ukrainian Territorial Defense inspected the destroyed Russian infantry mobile machine GAZ Tiger after a fight in Kharkov
Russia’s media regulator also said “reliable information” could be found in “official Russian news outlets.”
Putin’s war appears to be unpopular in Russia, with protesters taking to the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg calling for an end to the violence.
This week, Russian police detained 1,702 people in 53 Russian cities, at least 940 of them in Moscow and more than 340 in St. Petersburg’s second-largest city, according to OVD-Info, which tracks arrests of opposition rallies.
Meanwhile, the Russians are believed to have been warned by the authorities that any “negative comments” about Putin’s aggression would be treated as “betrayal”.
This comes after human rights activists warned of a new wave of repression against dissent in Russia as protests began.
There will be new (criminal) cases for saboteurs, spies, treason, prosecution for anti-war protests, detentions of journalists and bloggers, authors of critical posts on social networks, bans on investigating the situation in the army, etc. onwards, “Pavel Chikov, a prominent human rights defender, wrote on Facebook.
“It’s hard to say how big this new wave will be, given that everything has already been suppressed.”
More than 150 senior Russian officials have signed an open letter condemning Putin’s invasion as an “unprecedented atrocity” and warning of “catastrophic consequences.”
Deputies said they were convinced that Russian citizens did not support the war and accused Putin “personally” of ordering troops in Ukraine in an attack “for which there is no and cannot be justified.”
Several Russian celebrities and public figures, including those working for state television, have also spoken out against the attack.
Russian forces entered Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, today after failing in a night-long effort to take control of the capital, Kiev.
Also today, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it had killed more than 4,300 Russian soldiers in the first three days of fighting. Russia has not released up-to-date information on its military losses.