Russia blocks information flow in occupied territories through satellite bans, SIM card restrictions, and censorship
The occupation authorities of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have banned the sale, installation and use of television satellite equipment that can "catch" Ukrainian TV channels, the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR) has said.
"The occupation authorities have resorted to another series of measures to restrict the access of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories to Ukrainian and international sources of information. In particular, the leaders of the occupation administrations of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have signed decrees banning the sale, installation and use of television satellite equipment that can "catch" Ukrainian TV channels," the GUR said in a message on its Telegram channel on Wednesday.
It is reported that the decree came into force on October 10, and the illegal confiscation of satellite equipment from the population was planned to be completed by November 1.
"In addition, the Kremlin has ordered to block Russian SIM cards for civilians who have not linked their passport data to them. This decision is aimed at accelerating forced "passportization" and putting additional pressure on Ukrainians who refuse to receive Russian passports. In the event of refusal to obtain passports, residents of temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine will completely lose access to mobile communications," the GUR statement states.
The GUR emphasizes that the Kremlin also seeks to control information resources. The occupiers have ordered the authors of Telegram channels in the temporarily occupied territories that have more than 10,000 subscribers to add a special bot from Roskomnadzor (Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media). This bot, having administrator rights, can edit and delete publications, as well as block comments. Thus, any messages that highlight corruption in the occupation administrations or criticize the Russian government can be immediately deleted or changed.
"The purpose of such measures is to create an information "bubble" in the temporarily occupied territories, where access to Ukrainian and international resources is blocked, and any information not controlled by the Kremlin is immediately censored. The GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reminds: obstructing Ukrainians’ access to information is unacceptable, and those guilty of these crimes will bear fair responsibility," the military intelligence service emphasized.
