{
  "id": 169,
  "slug": "2022-russia-blocks-bbc-dw-meduza",
  "title": "Russia: regulator blocks BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle and other outlets",
  "occurred_on": "2022-03-04",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "RU",
  "country": "RU",
  "continent": "europe",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "shutdowns_and_blocking",
  "leader_slug": "vladimir-putin",
  "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.",
  "outcome": "sustained",
  "outcome_on": "2022-03-04",
  "outcome_note": "The blocks were not reported as reversed in the sources reviewed.",
  "granularity": "granular",
  "era": "2020s",
  "summary": "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.{c:543}{c:650}{c:651}{c:652}",
  "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.\"{c:543}{c:650}{c:651}{c:652}\n\nSustained; the blocks remained in place in the sources reviewed.{c:543}{c:650}{c:651}{c:652}",
  "stated_justification": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.{c:543}{c:650}{c:651}{c:652}",
  "effect_on_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.{c:543}",
  "unknowns": "The sources reviewed do not give Roskomnadzor's specific stated reason for blocking each outlet on that date.",
  "status": "in_effect",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-23T01:19:12Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 10,
  "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:19:06Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T02:22:45Z",
  "stage": "silence",
  "ladder_note": "Russia's regulator blocked five foreign outlets and two social media platforms nationwide within days of invading Ukraine, alongside fifteen-year prison terms for coverage it called false; the White House ban excluded three outlets from one building, not from the country.",
  "country_name": "Russia",
  "tactics": [
    "shutdowns_and_blocking"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "vladimir-putin",
    "name": "Vladimir Putin",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/vladimir-putin"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-russia-blocks-bbc-dw-meduza",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-23T01:19:12Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 2,
    "status": "in_effect",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": "The sources reviewed do not give Roskomnadzor's specific stated reason for blocking each outlet on that date."
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "roskomnadzor",
      "name": "Roskomnadzor",
      "kind": "body",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/roskomnadzor"
    },
    {
      "slug": "vladimir-putin",
      "name": "Vladimir Putin",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/vladimir-putin"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [
    {
      "slug": "bbc-russian",
      "name": "BBC Russian",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/bbc-russian"
    },
    {
      "slug": "deutsche-welle",
      "name": "Deutsche Welle",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/deutsche-welle"
    },
    {
      "slug": "meduza",
      "name": "Meduza",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/meduza"
    },
    {
      "slug": "radio-free-europe-radio-liberty",
      "name": "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/radio-free-europe-radio-liberty"
    },
    {
      "slug": "voice-of-america",
      "name": "Voice of America",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/voice-of-america"
    }
  ],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 543,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 169,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Authorities move to establish total control of information",
      "statement": "CPJ's summary characterization of the pace of these actions.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 401,
      "evidence_quote": "Russian authorities have moved quickly to establish total censorship and control over the free flow of information since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24,",
      "evidence_date": "2022-03-04",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:19:10Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 401,
        "url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "final_url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "title": "Russia further blocks media outlets, social media",
        "publisher": "Committee to Protect Journalists",
        "published_on": "2022-03-04",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/543"
    },
    {
      "id": 650,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 169,
      "field": "action",
      "value": "Roskomnadzor blocks five named outlets, March 4, 2022",
      "statement": "List of the outlets blocked on that date.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 401,
      "evidence_quote": "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)",
      "evidence_date": "2022-03-04",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:34:37Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 401,
        "url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "final_url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "title": "Russia further blocks media outlets, social media",
        "publisher": "Committee to Protect Journalists",
        "published_on": "2022-03-04",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/650"
    },
    {
      "id": 651,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 169,
      "field": "action",
      "value": "New law sets up to 15 years for spreading 'fakes'",
      "statement": "The new criminal penalty adopted the same day.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 401,
      "evidence_quote": "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,\"",
      "evidence_date": "2022-03-04",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:34:38Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 401,
        "url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "final_url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "title": "Russia further blocks media outlets, social media",
        "publisher": "Committee to Protect Journalists",
        "published_on": "2022-03-04",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/651"
    },
    {
      "id": 652,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 169,
      "field": "action",
      "value": "Facebook and Twitter also blocked",
      "statement": "Confirmation that social media platforms were blocked the same day.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 401,
      "evidence_quote": "Roskomnadzor confirmed...that Facebook and Twitter are blocked.",
      "evidence_date": "2022-03-04",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:34:39Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 401,
        "url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "final_url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
        "title": "Russia further blocks media outlets, social media",
        "publisher": "Committee to Protect Journalists",
        "published_on": "2022-03-04",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/652"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": 401,
      "url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
      "final_url": "https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/",
      "title": "Russia further blocks media outlets, social media",
      "publisher": "Committee to Protect Journalists",
      "published_on": "2022-03-04",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": 464,
      "url": "https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/russia-restricts-access-bbc-russian-service-radio-liberty-ria-2022-03-04/",
      "final_url": null,
      "title": "Russia blocks access to BBC and Voice of America websites",
      "publisher": "Reuters",
      "published_on": "2022-03-04",
      "link_state": "unchecked",
      "link_state_since": null,
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    }
  ],
  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-russia-blocks-bbc-dw-meduza/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite_as": "Russia: regulator blocks BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle and other outlets. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-russia-blocks-bbc-dw-meduza. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}