Number of Websites Blocked by Russian Authorities Continues to Rise and Now Exceeds 5300

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 26 – The Russian Communications Freedom NGO, which since 2012 has maintained a list of websites closed by the Russian authorities, says that the number of such sites, both Russian and non-Russian which have been blocked by military censorship since the start of Putin’s war in Ukraine now exceeds 5300.

            Many of the 1500 closures in the first month of the war attracted attention because they involved high-profile sites (roskomsvoboda.org/post/ban-1500-ssylok), but attention has fallen off, an unfortunate development because Moscow is using this method to close sites that have little or nothing to do with military issues (roskomsvoboda.org/post/voen-cenzura-5300-saytov/).

            Another reason both for the decline in attention but a justification for an increase in concern is that many of the decisions affect sites of regional importance and are being taken not by the central authorities but by regional and municipal ones, thus making what RosKomSvoboda does especially important and meriting continued checking.