Tweet
Disturbing images from the invasion have circulated widely on the platform.
Updated Feb 26, 2022, 12:55pm EST
By Russell Brandom
As the invasion of Ukraine enters its third day, Russia has blocked access to Twitter in an apparent effort to stifle the flow of information, according to a report from the internet monitoring group NetBlocks. Beginning Saturday morning, NetBlocks saw failed or heavily throttled connections across every major Russian telecom provider, including Rostelecom, MTS, Beeline, and MegaFon. Russians are still able to access Twitter through VPN services, but direct connections are restricted.
Journalists on the ground in Russia have confirmed the block. A BBC reporter described access as “severely restricted,” saying “this message got through, but took a while.”
The motivation behind the restrictions is unclear, but comes amid a broader crackdown on social media platforms in the country. Friday night, Russia announced a new block on Facebook after the platform removed the accounts of four state-run media organizations, a move the government described as a violation of “the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.”
... Internet access in Ukraine itself remains active and Twitter has not been blocked in the country itself. Some analysts have raised concerns that Russian forces could seize telecom infrastructure and institute an internet blackout as the conflict intensifies, but so far outages have been sporadic and localized around Kharkiv.
Twitter Public Policy@Policy
We believe people should have free and open access to the Internet, which is particularly important during times of crisis.
Twitter Support@TwitterSupport
We’re aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our service safe and accessible.
10:54 AM · Feb 26, 2022
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/26/22952006/russia-block-twitter-ukraine-invasion-censorship-putin
Updated Feb 26, 2022, 12:55pm EST
By Russell Brandom
As the invasion of Ukraine enters its third day, Russia has blocked access to Twitter in an apparent effort to stifle the flow of information, according to a report from the internet monitoring group NetBlocks. Beginning Saturday morning, NetBlocks saw failed or heavily throttled connections across every major Russian telecom provider, including Rostelecom, MTS, Beeline, and MegaFon. Russians are still able to access Twitter through VPN services, but direct connections are restricted.
Journalists on the ground in Russia have confirmed the block. A BBC reporter described access as “severely restricted,” saying “this message got through, but took a while.”
The motivation behind the restrictions is unclear, but comes amid a broader crackdown on social media platforms in the country. Friday night, Russia announced a new block on Facebook after the platform removed the accounts of four state-run media organizations, a move the government described as a violation of “the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.”
... Internet access in Ukraine itself remains active and Twitter has not been blocked in the country itself. Some analysts have raised concerns that Russian forces could seize telecom infrastructure and institute an internet blackout as the conflict intensifies, but so far outages have been sporadic and localized around Kharkiv.
Twitter Public Policy@Policy
We believe people should have free and open access to the Internet, which is particularly important during times of crisis.
Twitter Support@TwitterSupport
We’re aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our service safe and accessible.
10:54 AM · Feb 26, 2022
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/26/22952006/russia-block-twitter-ukraine-invasion-censorship-putin
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