Russia blocks CIA, FBI websites for ‘spreading false information’

According to a statement released by Roskomnadzor and reported by Russian news media, Roskomnadzor "has banned access to a number of resources belonging to state institutions of unfriendly nations for spreading content aimed at destabilizing the social and political situation in Russia."

Roskomnadzor, according to TASS's reporting, said that the two American websites had tarnished the Russian armed forces by publishing false information and material.

A State Department spokesman said in an email that "this move by Russia's authorities is predictable and complements current prohibitions on numerous other websites."

Requests for comment from representatives of the FBI, CIA, and Roskomnadzor did not immediately elicit a response.

Discrediting the military in Russia is now a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, while willfully disseminating "false information" about the military carries a possible 15-year term.

A number of independent media sources, several international news websites, and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have been banned by Roskomnadzor since Russia pushed tens of thousands of soldiers into Ukraine in February of last year.

Since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 of last year, Top10VPN, a monitoring company, has been tracking websites blocked in Russia. Roskomnadzor has blocked over 4,300 domains, with more than 85% of those being related to Ukrainian, Russian, and international news sites.

According to Simon Migliano, Head of Research at Top10VPN.com, "Russian censors have previously blocked a small number of Ukraine's government websites, but with the restrictions on the FBI and CIA websites, this is the first time they have prevented Russians from accessing other international government websites."

Only a small number of significant American websites, including NPR, Google News, and AOL, have been limited in addition to the main social media platforms, which makes the timing of these most recent limitations even more noteworthy.