# Russia: regulator blocks BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle and other outlets

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources reviewed do not give Roskomnadzor's specific stated reason for blocking each outlet on that date.

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.[1][2][3][4]

- Country: [Russia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/ru) (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)
- Where: Russia
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Shutdowns and blocking
- Stage: Silence (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/shutdowns_and_blocking#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.
- Head of government at the time: [Vladimir Putin](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/vladimir-putin)
- Issue of the day: Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome: Sustained, March 4, 2022. The blocks were not reported as reversed in the sources reviewed.
- Era: The 2020s

## 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."[1][2][3][4]

Sustained; the blocks remained in place in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3][4]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3][4]

## 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

- 2022-03-04: Russia: regulator blocks BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle and other outlets

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Roskomnadzor](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/roskomnadzor) | other | Russia's federal media and communications regulator |
| [Vladimir Putin](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/vladimir-putin) | other | President of Russia |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [BBC Russian](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/bbc-russian) | outlet | affected |
| [Deutsche Welle](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/deutsche-welle) | outlet | affected |
| [Meduza](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/meduza) | outlet | affected |
| [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/radio-free-europe-radio-liberty) | outlet | affected |
| [Voice of America](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/voice-of-america) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Russia further blocks media outlets, social media. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04).
2. Russia blocks access to BBC and Voice of America websites. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/russia-restricts-access-bbc-russian-service-radio-liberty-ria-2022-03-04/ (Reuters, 2022-03-04).

## Claims cited

[1] CPJ's summary characterization of the pace of these actions. 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," Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04. Russia further blocks media outlets, social media. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/543, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] List of the outlets blocked on that date. 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)" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04. Russia further blocks media outlets, social media. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/650, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The new criminal penalty adopted the same day. 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,"" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04. Russia further blocks media outlets, social media. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/651, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] Confirmation that social media platforms were blocked the same day. Quote: "Roskomnadzor confirmed...that Facebook and Twitter are blocked." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04. Russia further blocks media outlets, social media. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/652, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-russia-blocks-bbc-dw-meduza. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.