Vladimir Putin has tried to block Russians’ access to the truth regarding his war in Ukraine.
Putin blocked access to Twitter and Facebook, according to some reports. Although Twitter didn’t confirm that they were being blocked, Facebook did. CBS News reported that Russia had blocked 110 additional Russian-language news sites and financial information websites since the invasion. They’re blocking the financial sites so Russian citizens can’t see how much the ruble has been plummeting. Russians could be cut off from this reason, even though they might feel the impact of Visa and MasterCard being cut in Russia.
One of the independent media channels they were going after was TV Rain which Russia’s telecommunications regulator claimed was “inciting extremism, abusing Russian citizens, causing mass disruption of public calm and safety, and encouraging protests.” The CEO said he wasn’t sure they would be able to continue, and the staff walked away from their desks in protest of the government’s actions live on air at the end of their broadcast on Thursday, with their last words being “no war.” They also then flipped to “Swan Lake,” which has significance because it was what was played on USSR tv channels when it suddenly collapsed.
Meanwhile TVRain, the last independent media outlet operating in Russia, has shut down — here’s the last few minutes of its broadcast, poorly Google Translated. It then cut to Swan Lake, which has particular relevance: https://t.co/XXtUHroZkt pic.twitter.com/Iq7HSal7FW
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 3, 2022
This may be a prescient prediction, since Putin appears to be pushing for a complete collapse.
Putin also signed a law banning the spreading of “fake news,” a crime now punishable by 15 years in prison.
So, guess who decided they’re going to stop broadcasting in Russia in the wake of the new law? CNN.
A CNN spokesperson just reported: CNN will cease broadcasting Russia’s news while it continues to assess the situation and determine our next steps.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 4, 2022
With this CNN move, some funny people including our Sister Toldjah nailed it.
CNN denies that this is “punishment.” This is just my opinion. https://t.co/XgI6TcXE3x
— Sister Toldjah 😁 (@sistertoldjah) March 4, 2022
Many people noticed the coincidence of CNN’s exit after fake news announcement.
Unfortunately, we’re still saddled with CNN, so it seems like we’re the ones being punished in that regard. Isn’t this giving Russia aid and comfort?
What was funny, on top of Brian Stelter’s announcement, was that he restricted replies to only his followers. S,o he knew that people were going to point out CNN’s failings and he didn’t want to hear it — which says a lot about CNN’s denial of reality in general.
But, this is the one time that real news and international media shouldn’t be pulling out of Russia but doing all they can to get the truth out. We need to see that people are not just going along with this in Russia – that despite all the dangers, you have courageous people out, marching against it.
Today, anti-war demonstrations took place in Moscow. People chanted “No To War!” newly passed legislation (signed into law on Saturday) makes it crime to call Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “war”– or an “invasion” for that matter. (source: https://t.co/HyElpDZptg) pic.twitter.com/GFQ3GMcgZN
— Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) March 6, 2022
About Post Author
