Roskomnadzor restricted the media from using sources of information about the special operation

Roskomnadzor's message to the media:

“According to the department, there is now a lot of unreliable and unverified information on the network about the special operation of Russian troops in the Donbass. For the dissemination of such information, the media face fines of up to five million rubles. In addition, Roskomnadzor will threaten to block such materials. The department emphasized that only official Russian sources disseminate really reliable information.

In recent hours, the number of cases of dissemination by the media and other information resources operating on the Internet of unverified and unreliable information has significantly increased.

Please note that media editorial offices are required to establish their authenticity prior to the publication (airing) of materials in accordance with Article 49 of the Mass Media Law.

Roskomnadzor informs the media, information resources that when preparing their materials and publications regarding the conduct of a special operation in connection with the situation in the Lugansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic, they are obliged to use information and data received by them only from official Russian sources.

We remind you that the dissemination of knowingly false information entails liability under Article 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in the form of an administrative fine of up to 5 million rubles.

The dissemination of false information on the Internet will result in the immediate blocking of such materials by Roskomnadzor in accordance with Art. 15.3 of Federal Law No. 149-FZ "On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection".

We emphasize that it is Russian official information sources that have and disseminate reliable and up-to-date information, Roskomnadzor believes.

MEANWHILE:

Is media censorship allowed in Russia?

No. In Russia, censorship is directly prohibited by the Constitution. Article 29 of Chapter 2 states: “Freedom of speech is guaranteed. Censorship is prohibited." Censorship is subject to criminal liability.

When is media censorship allowed?

In times of war or emergency. In such cases, the state can fully control all the media. During the war, the authorities have the right to disseminate through television channels, radio stations, paper and Internet publications, information necessary for defense. In a state of emergency, which is introduced in the event of an attempt to seize power, a military mutiny, riots, terrorist attacks, and similar situations, the authorities can impose complete preliminary censorship. If the state of emergency is introduced due to a natural or man-made disaster or, for example, an epidemic, the state cannot censor journalists.

It is worth noting that neither a military nor a state of emergency was introduced on the territory of the Russian Federation.