Russia’s state communications regulator on Sunday said it had written to Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google and demanded that access to Russian media’s YouTube channels be restored on Ukrainian territory. The regulator, Roskomnadzor, said it wanted all restrictions imposed on the Russian-language YouTube channels of media outlets RBC, TV Zvezda, and Sputnik to be removed.
YouTube blocked access to state-run media channels on Saturday at the request of the Ukrainian government, which Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed on Twitter early Saturday morning local time. ‘We intend to help Russians and the world to know the truth.
I’ve contacted @YouTube to block the propagandist Russian channels — such as Russia 24, TASS, RIA Novosti. If they are afraid of speaking the truth, so we should stop this flow of poisonous lies,’ his tweet read. ‘In response to a government request, we’ve restricted access to RT and a number of other channels in Ukraine.
We will continue to monitor new developments and may take further actions,’ A YouTube spokesperson told Axios on Saturday. The spokesperson said YouTube was also ‘pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube, including several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions’ because of ‘extraordinary circumstances in Ukraine.’
The YouTube spokesperson also said the company would be ‘significantly limiting recommendations to these channels.’ Just hours before YouTube’s move, Google announced that it was blocking Russian state media channels from selling ads.
