In 2024, Russian courts imposed significant fines on journalists and readers of a number of media outlets. In , the British intelligence analyzed how Russia has stepped up efforts to control the media since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, UNN reports.
Details
The report states that, according to the Russian independent media organization Mediazona, in 2024, Russian courts issued a significant number of fines to journalists or readers of media outlets that the Russian authorities deemed "undesirable." Reportedly, most of the fines were imposed on the Latvian media outlet Meduza, while the US-funded Radio Liberty and RFE, as well as the Dozhd TV channel, were also fined. Most of the fines were imposed on authors, editors or commentators.
The fines are almost certainly aimed at deterring independent media from publishing materials that contradict or criticize the official Russian version of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The fines are aimed at deterring and intimidating those Russians who cooperate with independent media and reject the narratives disseminated by state media
British intelligence noted that these activities fit into the overall picture of the Russian government's increased efforts to control the media and further restrict freedom of speech after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Most of Russia's independent media outlets have been closed or forced abroad, and the Russian government has been imposing and enforcing increasingly stringent restrictions on citizens' access to foreign media.
Russia's efforts to restrict the activities of independent media are likely to continue throughout the conflict, which demonstrates the increased sensitivity of the country's leadership to the potential of the conflict to affect the stability of the regime
Recall
On January 14, users in Russia reported a massive outage of Internet services, including websites of shops, banks, and messengers. This is the second major outage in recent weeks.