On April 18, Russian authorities blocked the entire site of rsf.org, an international organization that promotes freedom of speech. The decision to censor the site was made without any prior notification to the RSF, which has never had a branch in Russia. According to Roskomsvoboda, a non-governmental organization that monitors internet censorship in Russia, the reasons for blocking the site were not given.
In addition to censoring the site, Russian propaganda spokespeople such as Alexander Kots, a war correspondent for the pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolkai Pravda, began spreading falsehoods about the RSF. Kots claimed that RSF receives funding from US intelligence services and has consistently smeared Russia in its annual free speech ratings. However, he made these accusations without first checking RSF’s financial report, which clearly lists all sources of funding.
Despite the censorship, those who wish to access RSF content can visit the organization’s mirror site by clicking here. The mirror site allows users to view all of RSF’s content and resources without any restrictions or limitations.