Russian-language service of Moscow Times blocked by government, news outlet says

The Russian-language service of The Moscow Times was blocked by the government over a story they wrote earlier this month regarding police officers who would not fight alongside Russian forces in its invasion of Ukraine, the news outlet reported on Friday.

Following an order from the Prosecutor General’s Office on April 12, Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor blocked access to The Moscow Times’s Russian-language service, the news outlet noted, citing Roskomnadzor’s restrictions database.

On April 4, The Moscow Times ran a story regarding riot police officers who went back to Russia and would not participate in the Russian invasion, which the Roskomnadzor database cites, in addition to the order, according to the news outlet. 

Its Russian-language edition is still accessible using a VPN and outside of Russia, The Moscow Times noted. Its English-language service is not affected by the block.

The Moscow Times reported at the time that Russia had not yet contacted their editors about the decision.

The decision comes as Russia continues to crack down on journalism and other forms of communication which appear to contradict official Russian assessments of their invasion of Ukraine, which has been condemned internationally.

Liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy and independent television channel Dozhd TV were both taken off the air after the Russia-Ukraine conflict was being criticized. 

International news outlets like the BBC, CNN and Bloomberg announced amid the invasion they would be halting or moving their operations from Russia to protect their journalists, while The Washington Post said it would remove datelines and bylines on certain coverage.