On 23 November 2023, Russia’s internet censor Roskomnadzor blocked access to Novaya Vkladka (“new tab” in Russian), an online media outlet which presents itself as a “journal with documentary stories on life in Russian regions after 24 February 2022”.
Novaya Vkladka said its newsroom had earlier received a letter from Roskomnadzor, in which authorities asked the outlet to delete an article on mobilization efforts in the Russian region of Buryatiya (Eastern Siberia), following the announcement of mobilization in September 2022. According to the outlet, Roskomnadzor demanded the removal of references to Svobodnaya Buryatiya (“Free Buryatiya” in Russian), a non-governmental organization which advocates for the region’s autonomy and which provided assistance to mobilized locals at the time. Svobodnaya Buryatiya was recently designated as an “undesirable organization” in Russia, with the designation introducing a legal ban on Russian citizens entering into contact with the group.
“We did not delete the article,” Novaya Vkladka wrote in a post on Telegram. “If we [must] choose between speaking and remaining silent, we choose to speak. We can look for ways to do this better, but we cannot stop talking at all.”