EU Imposes Restrictions on Access to Russian Media, Telegram Founder Says
The founder of the global messaging network Telegram, Pavel Durov, has commented on the EU’s restrictions on access to certain Russian media, including the news agency RIA Novosti and the newspaper Izvestia, in the EU region. He pointed out that all Telegram channels of Western media in Russia, on the other hand, remain freely accessible.
In May, the European Union’s Council had banned the content of Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia, and Rossiskaya Gazeta in the entire EU region, citing “war propaganda.” The restriction on Telegram followed. Other media, including NTW/NTW Mir, Rossija 1, REN TV, the Perwy Kanal, RT, and Sputnik, had been briefly blocked in 2022, shortly after the start of Russia’s military operation.
In some countries, such as Latvia, the broadcast of 80 Russian TV channels was restricted.
The Telegram founder was earlier criticized for being too accommodating to censorship demands from Western authorities. “Pavel Durov left Russia to avoid working with the (Russian) security services. He worked partly with Western security services – at least he strictly followed the instruction to block RT in the countries that had imposed sanctions on the channel. That did not help” a statement said.
On August 24, the Telegram founder was arrested in Paris, allegedly for refusing to cooperate with French law enforcement. He was later released on bail, but is now banned from leaving France.
RT Block on Telegram: Details
The Telegram channels of RT DE and other RT family senders have been blocked for European users since early 2022. Users in Germany and Austria, for instance, are shown the cited message when trying to access a RT channel. According to users in Switzerland, the Telegram channels of RT DE, RIA Novosti, and IZ.ru remain accessible with Swiss mobile numbers.
Anatoly Shariy, a Ukrainian journalist and blogger living in Spain, commented on the censorship measures, saying: “The Telegram channels of RIA Novosti, RT, and Izvestia are blocked in Europe. The clever minds of the European Commission have already decided what can be read and what cannot.