The YouTube video platform has blocked the channels of the Russian state broadcasters RT and Sputnik across Europe.
“Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we are blocking YouTube channels associated with RT and Sputnik in Europe with immediate effect,” a company spokesman said on Tuesday.
It will take a while before the measures are technically implemented. “Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock in order to act as quickly as possible.”
Last September, YouTube had already blocked and removed the German-language channels from RT. At that time, the Google service accused the state broadcaster of repeated violations of YouTube’s guidelines in the context of false information about the corona pandemic.
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RT and Sputnik are repeatedly criticized in the west as a propaganda tool of the Kremlin. The main accusation: the broadcaster is spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation on behalf of the Russian state and justifying the war of aggression in Ukraine. Last weekend, the EU Commission also imposed a ban on RT and Sputnik. However, it is not yet clear how the ban will be implemented in detail.