Authorities in the two pro-Russian breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine announced Friday that they have blocked access to the Internet’s biggest search engine, Google, accusing it of promoting violence against Russians.
According to Donetsk separatist leader Denis Pushilin, the search engine “promotes terrorism and violence against all Russians, especially against the population of Donbass. We have decided to block Google on the territory,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“If Google stops following its criminal policy and goes back to complying with the law, morals and common sense, then there will be no obstacles to its operations,” he added.
On Thursday, the leader of the neighboring breakaway Luhansk region, Leonid Pasetchnik, announced that he had taken the same step.
“The war is not just about missiles raining down on our cities, but also about a cloud of false information being sent to us by Ukraine. Unfortunately, Google has become their main weapon”, argued Pasetchnik.
“We can do without Google. If they get better and start respecting people, then we will consider restoring” access to the search engine, he added.
Pro-Russian separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine, including Russia, have sought to tighten their control over leaked information since Moscow launched its offensive against the neighboring country in late February.
In Russia, new laws have been passed that punish publication of what the Kremlin considers “false information” about the military or foreign military operations with heavy prison terms.
The country has also blocked major social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Kremlin, which even developed its own search engine, Yandex, has spent years trying to develop an independent and sovereign Internet, as is the case in China.
Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine on February 24 that has killed more than 5,000 civilians, according to the UN, which warns the true toll is likely to be much higher.
The Russian invasion was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and tightening economic and political sanctions on Moscow.
Source: TSF
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
