Russian Federation - September 2023

Russia’s federal agency charged with monitoring and censoring mass media, Roskomnadzor, blocked 885,000 websites for allegedly hosting information banned under Russian law, an 85 per cent increase over 2022. Websites have been targeted over “gay propaganda” laws, providing information about the war in Ukraine, and other justifications. On 19 September, Roskomnadzor also published proposed changes to the agency’s rules that would permit it to block any site providing access to or instructions on using a virtual private network (VPN) to circumvent its blocking.

Sources: Meduza, Novaya Gazeta Europe