Moscow has responded to the new measures by restricting Twitter access to the country, as well as blocking Facebook and Instagram. Twitter said in a statement: “We will not strengthen or propose government accounts belonging to states that restrict access to free information and engage in armed transnational conflicts – whether Twitter is blocked in that country or not. “When a government blocks or restricts access to Internet services within its state, undermining the voice and ability of the public to have free access to information, but continues to use Internet services for its own communications, a serious information imbalance is created.” . Putin’s official English account has only 1.7 million followers.
Greater censorship in Russia
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the authorities have intensified the censorship, which was already severe. It controls not only the way the war is portrayed on television and in the press, but also by individuals on social networks. The use of words such as “war” or “invasion” to describe the intervention is prohibited. Instead, the Russian government called the conflict a “special military operation.” In addition, the main independent media outlets that still exist in Russia have been blocked or suspended in order to avoid problems.
