On 12 September 2023, Russia’s internet regulator and censor Roskomnadzor blocked 24.kg and Payom.net, two independent news sites from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan respectively, for reporting on the war in Ukraine. The case was reported on by Roskomsvoboda, a Russian non-governmental group monitoring the Russian internet for freedom of expression violations.
In the case of 24.kg, Roskomnadzor formally restricted access to four articles on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while in the case of Payom.net, access was blocked to a publication on a speech by a Tajik politician in support of Ukraine, as well as to a report on potential drafting of immigrants from Central Asia into the Russian army. However, 24.kg and Payom.net reported that they had in practice become fully inaccessible in Russia.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, reporting on the war based on sources other than the Russian government is forbidden in Russia. Media outlets which do not comply with new legislation face heavy fines, closure, and internet access blocks. Journalists who violate laws on war-related “fake news” and “discreditation” of the Russian army face fines and prison terms.