Cable, satellite and Internet platforms are required to block access to information distributed by Russia Today and Sputnik in the European Union, the Electronic Communications Authority said. “The systematic manipulation of information and disinformation by the Kremlin is being used as an operational tool in an attack on Ukraine,” EU diplomat Josep Borrell said.
The ministry noted in the information that Council Regulation (EU) 2022/350 was published in the Official Journal of the EU, which amends existing provisions and is directly related to Russia’s actions to destabilize the situation in Ukraine. In accordance with the new regulation, broadcasting (as well as other activities to promote broadcasting) of the Russia Today and Sputnik TV channels was banned.
It was emphasized that the ban applies to the distribution of content by any means, such as cable, satellite, Internet TV, online video sharing platforms or applications, both new and pre-installed.
The ban applies to: RT – Russia Today in English, RT – Russia Today UK, RT – Russia Today – Germany, RT – Russia Today – France, RT – Russia Today – Spanish and Sputnik.
Systematic manipulation of information
The Electronic Communications Authority indicated that the ban on the broadcast or distribution of any RT and Sputnik content in the EU obliges Internet access service providers to block access to information distributed by these entities.
The President of the UKE clarified that the fulfillment of this obligation is subject to the exceptions set out in Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1), hereinafter referred to as Regulation 2015/2120, in the field of open access to the Internet, stating that the application of excess measures traffic management, possibly, among other things, to ensure compliance with the legislative acts of the Union.
As the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, explained the decision to block RT and Sputnik, “the Kremlin’s systematic manipulation of information and disinformation is being used as an operational tool in the attack on Ukraine. It also poses a significant and immediate threat to the EU.” public order and security.
The sanctions will remain in place until Russia stops its aggression against Ukraine and stops disinformation and manipulative actions against the EU and its member states.
The dissemination of “false” information is punishable by law
On Tuesday, at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, the Russian-language teleportal of Belsat “Vot Tak”, aimed at recipients in the post-Soviet space, was blocked in Russia. Belsat TV is a TV channel that is part of Telewizja Polska and co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, broadcasting in Belarusian and Russian to the post-Soviet space.
In early March, a new law came into force in Russia, according to which the dissemination of “knowingly false” information about the armed forces is a crime punishable by imprisonment for up to three years, and if bringing this information to the public has “serious consequences” – the punishment may be under 15 years of age. As a result of this ruling, some foreign media have decided to suspend broadcasting in Russia.
Some social networks are also blocked in Russia. The Russian state regulator of the media and the Internet, among other things, blocked the office of Roskomnadzor the work of the social networks Twitter and Facebook.