Golos, Amnesty International, istories, Colta websites blocked for Ukraine fakes - Roskomnadzor

MOSCOW. March 11 (Interfax) - The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has blocked the websites of several campaign groups and media outlets for publishing fake stories about the situation in Ukraine, and mentioned that the spread of misinformation was a criminal offense.

"Following a demand from the Prosecutor General's Office, Roskomnadzor restricted access to the websites of the [following] nonprofit organizations designated foreign agent by the Russian Justice Ministry: Golos (a nonregistered civic organization functioning as a foreign agent), Colta, Istories (a foreign media outlet functioning as a foreign agent, whose operation in Russia was declared undesirable by the Prosecutor General's Office) and the Amnesty International branch for Eastern Europe and Central Asia," Roskomnadzor said in reply to a query from Interfax.

"These resources systemically posted falsehoods [on topics] of substantial public interest regarding the special military operation carried out by the Russian Armed Forces jointly with a group of troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, its uniform, warfare methods, Russian military losses, civilian casualties, and urged citizens to join mass (public) gatherings in violation of the rules established on Russian territory.

"On March 4 the president of Russia signed a law imposing criminal liability for public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of Russian Armed Forces (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). Such wrongdoings carry a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment."