Roskomnadzor, the communications regulator of Russia, imposed a ban on the use of terms like ‘invasion’, ‘assault’, and ‘declaration of war’ by media outlets, ordering that if defied, the media outlet could face a fine or be blocked.

An official statement further accused several independent media outlets, including newspaper Novaya Gazeta and television channel Dozhd, of propagating “unreliable socially significant untrue information” about the bombarding of Ukrainian cities by the Russian military.

“The mentioned resources, under the guise of reliable reports, provide unreliable information of public interest that does not correspond to reality about the shelling of Ukrainian cities by the Russian armed forces and the death of civilians in Ukraine as a result of the actions of the Russian army, as well as materials in which the ongoing operation is called an attack, an invasion, or a declaration of war. If the mentioned false information is not deleted, access to these resources will be limited,” read the statement on Friday.

Also Read: ‘How can I be a Nazi?’ Zelensky asks Russians as Putin claims to ‘denazify’

It added, “We emphasize that it is Russian official information sources that have reliable and relevant information.”

The communications regulator also cited a request from the General Prosecutor’s Office, stating that media outlets such as Echo of Moscow radio will be banned unless they remove  “unreliable information”.

“Roskomnadzor also launched an administrative investigation into the dissemination of unreliable publicly significant information by the above-mentioned media,” the watchdog said.

Violation of the rule can lead to a fine of up to 5 million rubles ($60,000).

Also Read: ‘Weapons on the way’: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky after talks with France’s Macron

Rozkomnadzo prohibited Russian media outlets from using terms like ‘invasion’, and ‘assault’ for what it calls “the special operation connected with the situation in the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic.”

Meanwhile, Russia is yet to announce figures of Russian casualties, although several statements from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, suggest heavy casualties have been inflicted on the invading force.