Euronews has been withdrawn by TV providers in Russia, while access to its websites has also been blocked, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has confirmed.
MGTS, Akado, and Tricolor removed the channel, advising viewers that this was at the request of the rights holder. Euronews.com and ru.euronews.com can no longer be seen in Russia.
The move to block the website came following a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“The foreign media outlet has systematically posted unreliable and publicly significant information on a special military operation being carried out by the Russian Armed Forces, as well as information containing calls for people to participate in mass (public) events held in violation of the regulations established in the Russian Federation,” the regulator said in a statement.
However, the Lyon-based broadcaster told Broadband TV News it hadn’t received any official communication from the Russian authorities. ” Euronews strongly rejects the allegations of “fake news” and of calling citizens to protest, with the unacceptable threat of criminal liability. We firmly condemn this intolerable restriction imposed on the millions of people across Russia who relied on Euronews, more than ever, to get impartial fact-based news, in a context of heightened disinformation and propaganda.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia has blocked a number of western media outlets including the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The authorities also introduced two new criminal offences in early March: one for disseminating information “discrediting” the Russian army and a second for disseminating “false” information about Russian troops. The latter offence carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
