European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday accused the Kremlin of cutting Russians off from the internet to hide deteriorating economic conditions in the country, as sanctions over the war in Ukraine take their toll, UNN reports, citing AFP.
Details
"With inflation rising and interest rates soaring, the consequences of Russia's war of choice are also being paid out of the pockets of the Russian people," European Commission President von der Leyen told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg.
"So much so that the Kremlin is reacting... by restricting the internet and free communication," she pointed out.
Von der Leyen said that "Russians feel they are living behind an iron curtain again, this time a digital iron curtain."
"If there is one lesson in history, it is that all walls eventually fall," she said.
Russian authorities have recently stepped up efforts to control internet access in the country, restricting the Telegram and WhatsApp messaging apps, tightening restrictions on VPNs (virtual private networks), and implementing shutdowns.
The outages, particularly in the capital Moscow, have sparked rare expressions of public discontent after years of the Kremlin's suppression of free speech.
Since sending troops into Ukraine, Russia has tightened its rules on public displays of dissent, banning criticism of the Kremlin and the Russian military with strict military censorship laws.
Last week, the European Union approved a massive loan for Ukraine and introduced a new package of sanctions against Moscow after several months of delay.
The new package of economic sanctions is the 27-nation bloc's 20th since Russian tanks entered Ukraine in 2022.
While Russia's economy has so far largely withstood economic punishments, EU officials insist that cracks are beginning to appear more frequently.