麻豆社

Since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been banning social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X. Recently the government also extended the ban to Telegram, one of Russia鈥檚 most popular messaging apps. It鈥檚 cracking down on VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and it鈥檚 introduced a new state-backed app called Max, which comes downloaded on any new phone.

Authorities say these internet crackdowns are needed to 鈥渆nsure security鈥� and disrupt Ukrainian drones. But some say this is actually all about censorship - and that the government is trying to extend its control over the internet. So - how are these bans affecting Russians that rely on the internet everyday?

麻豆社 Monitoring journalist Clare Denning joins us to break down why the Kremlin is restricting access to the internet and how Russians are reacting to the crackdown.

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
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Editor: Verity Wilde