INCREASING RUSSIAN ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Russian journalists are not reporting on a war, or even an invasion or attack. The state requires them to label it a “ special operation”, designed to protect the country’s security in the face of an expanding Nato alliance. Any news organisations deviating from the government’s playbook have been ordered to close by Russian authorities. Meanwhile, access to independent sources of news online and across social media platforms have been significantly cut off by the Russian government. And new legislation has been passed that allows the Russian authorities to jail anyone reporting what they determine to be “fake news” about what is happening in Ukraine.

What can be done?

1. Support the dissemination of accurate news and information about the war and its cost.
2. Apply innovative methods to inject information into the Russian market.
3. Amplify the message across broadcast channels that can reach Russian audiences.
4. Support to online personalities and influencers who have access to the Russian social media market and reach out to and support Russian diaspora populations residing in the West who are intent on passing information to family and friends in Russia
5. Russian diaspora: Germany: 1,213,000; France: 200,000 to 500,000; Latvia: 471, 276; Estonia: 310,000; Lithuania: 180,000; Italy: 120,000; Moldova: 111,000; United Kingdom: 35,000; Austria: 30,249; Finland: 30,000; Romania: 23,000; Belgium: 20,000; Bulgaria: 15,495; Norway: 14, 914; Poland: 13,000; Portugal: 5, 103
6. Help sympathetic Russians gain access to the free internet, possibly through sharing access to virtual private network technologies that can break through the firewalls installed by the Russian government.
7. Develop new techniques for ensuring Russian access to accurate and truthful information. Ensuring that the Russian people know the truth about what their government is doing in Ukraine could bring this war to an end soon rather than later.

Note

It’s clear that the Kremlin wishes to control the narrative of its invasion and prevent the Russian people from accessing news reports from Ukrainian sources.

Banned/Blocked

1. 1plus1.ua (Ukraine, News)
2. 24tv.ua (Latvia, News)
3. amnesty International
4. bbc.com (UK, News)
5. bellingcat
6. censor.net (Ukraine, News)
7. deutsche welle (dw) (Germany, News)
8. dumskaya.net (Russia, News)
9. echo.msk.ru (Russia, News)
10. facebook.com (USA, Social Media)
11. golosameriki.com (Voice of America)
12. gordonua.com (Ukraine,News)
13. korrespondent.net (Ukraine, News)
14. instagram.com (USA, Social Media)
15. Interfax Ukraine
16. kanalukraina.tv (Ukraine,News
17. meduza.io (Latvia, News)
18. nv.ua (Ukraine, News)
19. obozrevatel.com (Russia, News)
20. onlineradiobox.com (Poland, Internet Radio)
21. Postimees.ee (Ukraine, News)
22. pravda.com.ua (Ukrayniska Pravda, News)
23. radio free liberty network
24. radiosvoboda.org (USA, News)
25. rbc.ua (Ukraine, News)
26. segodnya.ua (Ukraine, News)
27. stopwarukraine.com (Ukraine, Anti-war)
28. takflix.com (Ukraine, Cultural)
29. tiu.ru (Ukraine, News)
30. twitter.com (USA, Social Media)
31. tsn.ua (Ukraine, News)
32. ukr.net (Ukraine, News)
33. ukrinform.ua (Russia, Anti-war)
34. Unian.net (Ukraine), News
35. Zaxid.net (Ukraine) News

Independent Russian news sites are also increasingly blocked, even some of those who have publicly stated that they will abide by new laws preventing reporting on military matters, purportedly to prevent “fake news”.