The independent Moscow Times news organization’s Russian language website has been blocked by Russia’s state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, the outlet stated in a statement Friday.
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According to a statement on the outlet’s English website, which has not been affected, “Russia blocked The Moscow Times’ Russian language service on Friday after it published what authorities call a false report on riot police officers refusing to fight in Ukraine.”
The Russian language website of the Moscow Times is still accessible from outside Russia via VPN, according to the outlet.
“The prosecutor’s office has not yet notified The Moscow Times of its decision,” The Moscow Times said.
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“A tracking tool first detected access disruptions to the domain name themoscowtimes.com/ru from within Russia earlier in the day,” it said.
According to the Moscow Times, hundreds of domestic and foreign websites have been blocked since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of being “frightened” of journalists “who can tell the truth” after the Kremlin tried to prohibit Russians from viewing an interview he gave regarding the Ukraine conflict.
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“(They) destroyed freedom of speech in their state — (and are) trying to destroy the neighboring state. They portray themselves as global players. And they themselves are afraid of a relatively short conversation with several journalists,” he stated in a video address.
“Well, if there’s such reaction — then we are doing everything right. (It) means they are nervous,” added Zelensky.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson at the time, told CNN that Russia was not concerned, stating that “laws (are) in place, and it is very important not to publish information that would amount to a violation of these laws.”
