Russia expands blocking of religious websites: Ukrainian and international resources are under attack
Russia continues a large-scale campaign to block religious websites, including Ukrainian and international resources. The Norwegian human rights initiative Forum 18 has published a report demonstrating the increase in censorship, which includes religious organizations, media and activists.
Source: risu.ua
According to the report, Roskomnadzor has blocked hundreds of websites, including:
Ukrainian religious resources: websites of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, the Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU), and Islam in Ukraine.
International platforms: Wikipedia pages, websites of Jehovah’s Witnesses, resources related to Islamic theologian Said Nursi.
Anti-war initiatives: websites criticizing Russia’s war against Ukraine, such as Public Orthodoxy and InVictory.
Social networks: accounts of religious figures who oppose the war.
Censorship even affects foreign websites, forcing them to remove materials that do not conform to the Kremlin’s narrative.
Particular attention is paid to Ukrainian resources, which Russia has been systematically blocking since 2014. For example, RISU was among the first sites to be blocked after the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Roskomnadzor considers the materials on these sites to be “extremist” and contrary to “traditional values.”
The blocking of websites is justified by the “fight against extremism,” but in reality it is a tool to combat religious organizations that advocate for human rights, support pacifism, or criticize Russian aggression.
Censorship forces website owners to self-censor or cease operations. Many blocked resources disappear completely due to financial difficulties or hosting restrictions. This leads to a loss of access to information for Russian users and a narrowing of the space for discussion.
Religious organizations and human rights activists call on the international community to draw attention to this problem and support independent resources that cover the situation with religious freedom.
