A war in Ukraine? In the Russian state media this is a nonsense. However, the TV station Dozhd reports extensively on the Russian invasion of the neighboring country. It is one of the few remaining independent Russian media. Now the Russian media regulator is shutting him down.
“Military special operation” is the official term in Russian state media for Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Terms such as “war”, “attack” or “invasion” are strictly prohibited, and media companies face heavy fines if they are violated. As the last independent TV station, TV Dozhd defied the requirements of the Russian media supervisory authority Roskomnadzor and reported on what really happened in Ukraine: an invasion by the Russian military – much to the displeasure of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
But that is now over, at least in the territory of the Russian Federation: On Monday, the general public prosecutor’s office instructed the media supervisory authority to block the channel and shut down the website. The same fate befell the liberal radio station “Echo Moscow”, whose station was blocked. The public prosecutor’s office accuses the two broadcasters of “fake news” and “calls for extremism and violence”.
TV Dozhd still available on Youtube
According to its own statements, TV Dozhd reaches up to 25 million people every day, and the reporting on YouTube can still be seen in Germany. “There is a certain part of the population that supports the war. Because it corresponds to how they want to live. Or because they have been brainwashed by Russian propaganda in recent years,” explained Dozhd editor-in-chief Tychon Dzyadko on Monday evening on ARD. However, he is convinced that this group of people is not the majority.
Former Russian chess world champion and Putin critic Garry Kasparov found critical words on Twitter about the shutdown of the two channels. “Putin is increasing the lack of news in Russia in order to prepare further atrocities in Ukraine,” Kasparov, who lives in exile, accused the Kremlin chief. He reiterated the importance of acting quickly and cutting Russia off from international monetary transactions. “No transitional periods! Don’t let them transfer the money into their war coffers and secret accounts,” Kasparov demanded.
“Big Tech” companies restrict Russian propaganda
Russia’s decision to step up crackdowns on independent media is not unexpected. Also on Monday, a bill was introduced that would ban people from sharing information that has not been previously verified by Russia. Violations of this rule are punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Access to Twitter had previously been restricted by the Russian side, and information could only be called up with a delay in the short message service. Facebook can also only be used to a limited extent.
In the past few days, the big tech companies have stepped up action against Russian propaganda online. The European Union had already announced a ban on the RT and Sputnik channels on Sunday. Facebook parent company Meta then announced on Monday that it would restrict access to RT and Sputnik in the European Union, and state media are prohibited from advertising. Google parent company Alphabet meanwhile blocked the two channels on YouTube. Technology giant Apple also reacted and removed all apps from Russian state media from the App Store. ()
Sources: , , dpa
Source: Stern
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