YouTube blocks Russian parliament channel

Officials were outraged when YouTube suspended Duma TV, which transmits from Russia’s lower house of parliament, and suggested the world’s most popular streaming site could face restrictions as a result.

The Duma channel was “terminated for a breach of YouTube’s Terms of Service,” according to a YouTube notification posted on Saturday.

Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor has put pressure on YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL.O), and authorities have reacted quickly.

“YouTube, it appears, has signed its own warrant. Save the content and upload it to Russian platforms. Also, hurry up “On the Telegram messaging service, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated.

The communications watchdog said it had asked Google to quickly restore access to the Duma channel.

“In the information war waged by the West against our nation, the American IT business maintains a pronounced anti-Russian posture,” Roskomnadzor added.

In an emailed statement to media, Google stated that it was dedicated to following all applicable sanctions and trade compliance regulations.

“If an account is found to be in violation of our Terms of Service, we will take appropriate action. Our personnel are keeping a close eye on the issue for any further developments or changes.”

The Duma’s speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, called YouTube‘s move “more proof” of Washington’s infringement of human rights and freedoms.

“The United States seeks to gain a monopoly on information dissemination. We can’t allow it to happen “On Telegram, Volodin stated.

Since sending thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24, Russia has already banned access to Twitter’s (TWTR.N) and Meta Platforms’ (FB.O) flagships Facebook and Instagram.

Russia attempted to prohibit the Telegram messaging app, which is now widely used by government personnel, but the restriction was overturned in mid-2020.

The move was portrayed as a capitulation by the Russian media, but Roskomnadzor said it moved because the app’s Russian founder, Pavel Durov, was willing to collaborate in tackling terrorism and extremism on the platform.