Major Russian news outlets' Telegram channels blocked in EU

(MENAFN) Several prominent Russian news outlets' Telegram channels were made inaccessible across the European Union on Sunday. The affected channels, including those of RIA Novosti, Izvestia, Rossiya 1, Channel One, NTV, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, now display a message stating that access to their content has been restricted due to an alleged "violation of local laws," with all content unavailable.

Reports suggest that the bans have been implemented in several EU countries, including Poland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, and the Czech Republic, though it is unclear whether the restrictions are being enforced across the entire EU.

The European Union has previously taken aggressive actions against Russian media amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, and even before the war. In May, some of the affected outlets, such as Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Izvestia, and RIA Novosti, were hit with broadcasting bans across the EU. The EU Council at the time accused these outlets of being under the "direct or indirect control" of the Russian government, and claimed they played a key role in promoting the hostilities.

As of now, no official statements have been released regarding the latest restrictions from Telegram, the European Union, or individual EU member states.

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