The activities of five Russian media have already been blocked in the EU and Finland, as they are considered to be a means of influencing information. However, some experts doubt the appropriateness of such drastic measures.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia began to actively block foreign media.
By the beginning of June, and a few other Finnish media had been banned. The EU, for its part, decided to extend restrictions on the Russian media.
“Information Manipulation Tools”
The EU decided to suspend the broadcasting of three state-owned Russian channels, namely “Rossiya RTR” / “RTR Planeta”, “Rossiya 24 / Russia 24” and “TV Center International”.
The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for enforcing sanctions, emphasizes that it is working as part of the EU on this issue, and therefore restrictions will also be introduced in Finland.
– Fighting disinformation is one part of the answer. The EU has worked long-term to combat disinformation. We consider this an important message, Novost is told about the Foreign Ministry’s communications.
So far, no restrictions have been imposed on the three Russian channels. This requires an implementing act, which has not yet been received from the European Council. The Legal Department of the State Department is told the timetable for the measures will be announced later this week.
At the time of writing this story, the websites of the TV channels in question were accessed from Finland and their live news broadcasts were available.
RT and Sputnik have been blocked, but they are still unreadable
For the first time in the EU and Finland, access to and broadcasting of the websites of the RT television channel and the Sputnik news agency were blocked.
– The EU Council Decision and Regulation, which entered into force on 2 March, prohibited the broadcasting and participation in broadcasting and the transmission of information in any way within the European Union, with the exception of, inter alia: interview and research activities. As a result of EU sanctions, access to the websites of these actors has been blocked, the Foreign Ministry said.
At present, Finland does not really have access to the official websites of RT and Sputnik, but it does not stop the distribution of their content. Sputnik, for example, is still continuing his videos on Yandex Zen and Rutube.
Through the Yandex.Novosti service, you can read, for example, RT’s news about the blocking of ‘s website in Russia. The news is not available on the official website, but it can be found on Yandex Zen on the RT channel. The state media is often cited by the smaller media, which can be read through Yandex.Novosti. In addition, you can find an unofficial broadcast of RT using Google search.
Expert: RT and Sputnik were treated in the EU for a long time than in the regular media
Supplier Anneli Ahonen worked in 2017–2021 as Finland’s representative in the EU Disinformation Group. He says that this time the EU was ready to impose tougher and more uniform sanctions on the Russian media.
– Russia has directed the propaganda conveyed by Russia Today and Sputnik to international audiences in particular. For a long time, these were treated as media in the EU countries with all the rights and responsibilities involved, Ahonen says.
However, he recalls that the French and British regulators had previously issued warnings to the Russian state media and that Germany had not licensed RT.
Yandex is under special surveillance
Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka (sd) said in May that the Russian company Yandex was under “special surveillance” in Finland. Novosti asked the Minister whether this also applies to the Yandex.Novosti service, which also allows Russian state media to be read in Finland.
– The comment refers to Yandex’s operations as a whole. The Ministry and other authorities monitor Yandex’s operations and compliance with the law within the scope of its authority. This means, among other things, data security and data protection issues as well as the legality of the content. In terms of content, the protection of freedom of expression is high in Finland. Illegal content is content that is illegal under the Penal Code, such as incitement against a group of people, says Minister Haraka’s response.
The Minister says that from the point of view of content, the defense of freedom of speech is at a high level in Finland. The Ministry did not want to comment on the question of the possible blockade of Yandex.Novost in Finland.
– Finland acts as part of the European Union in these matters. The EU’s current media sanctions and possible future additional sanctions are also directly and as such applicable in Finland, Harakka says.
UM: Freedom of expression may be restricted in special cases
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs assures that freedom of speech is of great importance in Finland, as it is one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. The right to freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Constitution and by a number of international treaties. Freedom of expression includes not only the expression of opinion and the dissemination of information, but also the right to information.
– However, under both the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, these rights may be restricted provided that such restrictions are provided for by law and are necessary in a democratic society for reasons of national security, territorial integrity or public security, disorder or crime, health or morals. to protect the reputation or rights of others, to prevent the disclosure of confidential information, or to ensure the prestige and impartiality of the courts, the Department of State will respond by email.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasizes the crucial role of the media in wars and conflicts.
– In conflict situations and wars, the role of the media is critical in providing correct and timely information to citizens. Reliable news and images can help protect civilians and prevent conflict, bring the horrors and realities of conflict to the attention of the international community, and expose violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
“Censorship almost never works”
Editor-in-Chief of Journalist Maria Pettersson objected (switch to another service) already in March, the blockade of the Russian media and called it a “radical act”.
– Freedom of expression has two parts: the right to speak and the right to receive information. Now the state is restricting access to information for its own citizens, which is a bad thing. I think it is important that Finns know what the Russian media feeds Russian citizens, Pettersson comments to Novost.
Pettersson points out that some of the blocked sites are still inaccessible and television can be viewed through a variety of services.
– Censorship almost never works. I do not think that any Finn will turn into a putinist if he looks at the Russian news. Disinformation is fought with information and education, not censorship.
Pettersson says that there are Russian speakers in Finland who follow almost exclusively Russian media and believe what they say. But Pettersson also knows Russians who don’t believe in the Russian media at all.
He has also strongly criticized Russia, which has blocked, among other things, the Finnish media.
– It’s bad [päätös] and restricts the right of Russians to access information, the editor-in-chief of Journalisti says.
The story has been translated from Russian by Heli Jormanainen.