Russian officials accuse YouTube of blocking Duma channel
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After the Russian Duma's channel is no longer accessible, the head of the lower house of parliament accuses the US of seeking monopoly on the diffusion of information.
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Russia accused YouTube of spreading "fake news" about its special military operation in Ukraine
Russian officials on Saturday accused US video hosting service YouTube of blocking the channel of the lower house of parliament and warned of retaliation.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the head of the Duma, considered that Washington was breaching "the rights of Russians," while Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova pointed out that "YouTube has sealed its fate."
"The United States wants to have a monopoly on the diffusion of information," Volodin said on Telegram, adding that "we cannot allow that."
According to Moscow, Duma-TV has more than 145,000 subscribers. It airs clips of parliamentary debates and interviews of Russian lawmakers.
On Thursday, Russia's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, noted that it would ban US internet giant Google from advertising its services in the country, accusing YouTube of spreading "fake news" about its special military operation in Ukraine.
The watchdog indicated that Google-owned YouTube had committed "numerous violations" of Russian legislation and was "one of the key platforms, distributing fake news about the course of the special military operation in Ukraine, discrediting the armed forces of Russia."
Roskomnadzor confirmed that it had decided to "introduce measures of coercion," including "a ban on distribution of advertising for Google LLC and its information resources."
