YouTube blocks Russian channels RT, Sputnik in Europe amid war with Ukraine

New Delhi, Mar 01 : Amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Google Europe on Tuesday announced that it is blocking YouTube channels of Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik across the continent, effective immediately.

 

 

“Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we’re blocking YouTube channels connected to RT and Sputnik across Europe, effective immediately. It’ll take time for our systems to fully ramp up. Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock to take swift action”, the company said in a tweet on Tuesday.

 

 

 

YouTube said, "We are blocking the YouTube channels of RT and Sputnik in the whole of Europe with immediate effect. Our systems need a little time before being fully operational."

 

This comes after an announcement from the European Commission that it wanted to remove these Russian media outlets from the EU, would apply within the European Union and the UK. In a statement, the tech firm said that it now continues to monitor the situation around the clock to take “swift action”.

 

 

Earlier, the firms had even stopped the likes of RT and Sputnik from earning money from advertising on their YouTube channels, or from buying ads to promote themselves on Facebook. The state-backed media organisations are considered mouthpieces of Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime.

 

Fellow online giant Facebook took a similar decision on Monday by blocking content published by RT and Sputnik in the European Union. “We have received requests from a number of Governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state controlled media,” Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, said on Twitter.

 

Earlier, the company had blocked access to several Russian state-controlled accounts in Ukraine. The social network said it was also reviewing other governments’ requests to restrict access to these accounts in their countries.

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