Russia blocked this Friday, April 15 the websites of Radio France Internationale, which broadcast information in fifteen languages, including Russian, in the midst of a wave of repression against criticism of the offensive in Ukraine. The www.rfi.fr site is now on the list of sites blocked in Russia by the telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor, noted AFP journalists in Russia, who could not open the media site without a virtual private network. Since the start of the Russian offensive on February 24, RFI websites including www.rfi.fr and www.rfi.fr/ru have provided 24-hour coverage of events in Ukraine.
Rozkomnadzor did not specify the reason for the blockage, indicating only that he responded to a request from the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office. Funded by the French state, RFI has dozens of correspondents around the world, as well as a Russian-speaking service based in France.
Since the offensive in Ukraine on February 24, the Russian authorities have greatly increased their pressure on the last independent media and critics of the Kremlin present in the country. Dozens of Russian and foreign media sites, including the BBC’s, have already been blocked in Russia. Also, several social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have been made inaccessible.
Under recently passed laws, publishing information about the conflict considered false by the authorities is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.