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YouTube Blocks Russian Parliament Channel, Drawing Ire From Officials


FILE - Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin delivers a speech during a session of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow, Russia, April 7, 2022. (Sputnik/Grigory Sysoev/Pool via Reuters). YouTube on Saturday announced it is blocking Duma TV.
FILE - Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin delivers a speech during a session of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow, Russia, April 7, 2022. (Sputnik/Grigory Sysoev/Pool via Reuters). YouTube on Saturday announced it is blocking Duma TV.

YouTube has blocked Duma TV which broadcasts from Russia's lower house of parliament, drawing an angry response from officials who said the world's most popular streaming service could face restrictions in response.

On Saturday, a message on YouTube said the Duma channel had been "terminated for a violation of YouTube's Terms of Service.”

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's, has been under pressure from Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor and officials were quick to respond.

"From the look of it, YouTube has signed its own warrant. Save content, transfer (it) to Russian platforms. And hurry up," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging service.

The communications watchdog said it had requested Google restore access to the Duma channel immediately.

"The American IT company adheres to a pronounced anti-Russian position in the information war unleashed by the West against our country," Roskomnadzor said.

Google did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the Duma's speaker, said YouTube's move was further proof of rights and freedom violations by Washington.

"The USA wants to obtain a monopoly on promoting information. We cannot let it happen," Volodin said on Telegram.

Russia has already restricted access to Twitter and Meta Platforms' flagships Facebook and Instagram since sending thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Russia had earlier tried to ban the Telegram messaging app, now widely used by officials, but lifted its ban in mid-2020.

Some Russian media cast the move as a capitulation, but Roskomnadzor said it had acted as it did because the app's Russian founder, Pavel Durov, was prepared to cooperate in combating terrorism and extremism on the platform.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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