Incident
Russia: regulator blocks BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle and other outlets
RussiaRSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180
- Shutdowns and blocking
- Stage Silence
- Sustained
Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked access nationwide to the websites of BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle, Meduza, Voice of America's Russian service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty within days of invading Ukraine, alongside new prison terms for reporting the regulator called false.1234
What happened
On March 4, 2022, Russia's state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, blocked access within Russia to the websites of the BBC's Russian-language service, Germany's public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the independent news site Meduza, the Russian-language service of the United States Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America, and several services of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, another United States Congress-funded broadcaster. Roskomnadzor separately confirmed that Facebook and Twitter were blocked in the country. The same day, Russia's legislature adopted amendments to the criminal code creating prison terms of up to fifteen years for people convicted of spreading what the amendments called "fakes" about the military, a category that came to include most independent reporting on the invasion, which Russian law required media to call a "special military operation."1234
Sustained; the blocks remained in place in the sources reviewed.1234
What reason was given
Stated justification
What changed for reporting
The blocks and new penalties led most remaining independent Russian outlets, including Meduza's editorial staff, to relocate their operations outside the country within days.1
Timeline
2022
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Roskomnadzor | other | Russia's federal media and communications regulator |
| Vladimir Putin | other | President of Russia |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| BBC Russian | outlet | affected |
| Deutsche Welle | outlet | affected |
| Meduza | outlet | affected |
| Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | outlet | affected |
| Voice of America | outlet | affected |
Sources
- Russia further blocks media outlets, social media
- Russia blocks access to BBC and Voice of America websites
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- CPJ's summary characterization of the pace of these actions.
Russian authorities have moved quickly to establish total censorship and control over the free flow of information since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24,
Russia further blocks media outlets, social media, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04.Claim 543, checked 2026-09-22. - List of the outlets blocked on that date.
Roskomnadzor on Friday, March 4, blocked access to several news websites, including those of BBC Russian, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Latvia-based independent news site Meduza, the Russian-language service of U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America (VOA)
Russia further blocks media outlets, social media, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04.Claim 650, checked 2026-09-22. - The new criminal penalty adopted the same day.
The Russian legislature adopted amendments to the criminal code introducing higher penalties, such as fines, criminal liabilities, and imposing prison terms of up to 15 years for those convicted of disseminating "fakes,"
Russia further blocks media outlets, social media, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04.Claim 651, checked 2026-09-22. - Confirmation that social media platforms were blocked the same day.
Roskomnadzor confirmed...that Facebook and Twitter are blocked.
Russia further blocks media outlets, social media, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04.Claim 652, checked 2026-09-22.