Roskomnadzor demands 10 media outlets delete fake news about events in Ukraine - agency

MOSCOW. Feb 26 (Interfax) - Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor has sent ten Russian media outlets demands that they delete fake news about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine and has started an administrative inquiry into those publications, warning them about the responsibility of fines of up to five million rubles, the agency said.

"In accordance with the requirement of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, Roskomnadzor has sent notifications that it is necessary to restrict access to false information to the media outlets Ekho Moskvy, InoSMI, Mediazona (declared a foreign agent media outlet in Russia), New Times, TV Rain (declared a foreign agent media in Russia), Svobodnaya Pressa, Crimea. Realties (declared foreign agent media outlet in Russia), Novaya Gazeta, Journalist, and Leninizdat," Roskomnadzor said.

"The aforementioned resources published under the guise of true reports false socially important information which is not true about the attacks of Ukrainian cities by the Russian Armed Forces and deaths of civilians in Ukraine as a result of the actions of the Russian army, as well as materials describing the operation as an attack, invasion or a war," it said.

"If the aforementioned false information is not deleted, the access to those resources will be restricted in accordance with the Article 15.3 of the Federal Law No. 149-FZ on information, information technologies and protection of information," it said.

Roskomnadzor also started administrative inquiries into the spread of false socially important information by the aforementioned media outlets. "This offense is punishable by an administrative fine up to five million rubles under Artile 13.15 of the Russian Code on Administrative Offenses," it said.

Roskomnadzor "strongly recommends that editorial offices of media outlets verify the validity of materials before publishing or broadcasting them in accordance with the Article 49 of the Law on Media."

"We would like to emphasize that only official Russian information sources have reliable and up-to-date information," it said.

Roskomnadzor said on February 24 that Russian media outlets must use only information from official Russian sources while covering the events in Ukraine.