On 20 March 2024, the Russian online media outlet SOTA said that it had been blocked in Russia following a decision by Roskomnadzor, the country’s internet regulator and censor. Roskomnadzor had reportedly made the decision on March 5, quoting “systematic violations” of Russian law. According to the state institution, the block became effective on March 19. Russia’s state-controlled press agency TASS later quoted a comment on the case issued by Roskomnadzor, according to which SOTA had been blocked for “disseminating false information on […] the special military operation,” the legally authorized term in Russia for the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, SOTA said it had not been notified of the decision. The outlet said that it had been blocked “for not submitting to censorship”, according to a message published on the SOTA’s Telegram channel.
“We were ready to be blocked, and now we will propose our articles in two formats: with a VPN and without one, as many of our colleagues [in other independent media outlets] are already doing […]. Thank you for reading us. We will continue [our work],” SOTA wrote on Telegram.
SOTA remains one of Russia’s most popular independent online media in terms of audience and subscriptions to its various social media channels. Unlike other major Russian independent outlets, such as Meduza, TV Rain or Novaya Gazeta Europe, it was not forced into exile and did not face major legal restrictions on its work to date. Unlike the other outlets, SOTA is legally allowed to maintain a network of correspondents in Russia.