Roskomsvoboda: Russian authorities block almost 15,000 websites in a single week
Source: Kommersant
Between December 5 and December 11, Russian authorities blocked 14,800 new websites, according to the NGO Roskomsvoboda. The majority of the blockages this month have been the result of court decisions.
Human rights advocates from Roskomsvoboda calculated that throughout 2022, Russia’s federal censor, Roskomnadzor, has blocked an average of 4,900 websites per week. According to their data, the only times authorities have blocked sites at a higher rate in recent years came in 2018, when 13,400 sites were blocked between April 23 and April 30 amid Roskomnadzor’s attempt to ban Telegram, and in April 2021, when 18,100 sites were blocked in a single week against the backdrop of protests in support of Alexey Navalny.
