Russia limits access to BBC as broadcaster relaunches shortwave radio to cover Ukraine war

Hours after BBC reintroduced its shortwave radio station in Ukraine and Russia to ensure that residents in both countries can get news during the invasion, its website has now been blocked in Russia. According to the Russian-owned RIA news agency, the official communications authority Roskomnadzor has limited access to BBC Russia's online presence, as well as Radio Liberty and the Meduza media outlet.

According to Globalcheck, a firm that monitors internet censorship in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, the availability of the complete BBC website in Russia was at 17% of normal levels, implying that some services have been restricted. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, and Google Play looked to be blocked as well, according to BBC Russia. The BBC's plan to resort to a mostly antiquated type of broadcasting, airing four hours of its world service, read in English, to Ukraine and parts of Russia each day, appeared to be stopped just hours afterwards.

Since the invasion, the BBC has witnessed tremendous gains in its audiences in Ukraine and Russia. The number of visitors to BBC's Ukrainian language website more than quadrupled from a year ago in the last week of February, reaching 3.9 million. Over the last week, its Russian-language website saw a record 10.7 million visitors, more than twice its weekly 2022 average.

BBC's decided to restore shortwave days after Russia fired missiles at Kyiv's TV tower

Deutsche Welle, a German public broadcaster, also reported in Russian that the BBC website was down in Russia. The BBC's shortwave radio transmission can be heard on 15735 kHz from 6 to 8 p.m. Ukraine time, and on 5875 kHz from midnight to 2 a.m. The BBC's decision to restore shortwave occurred just days after Russia fired two missiles at Kyiv's TV tower, killing five people and disrupting news and transmissions.

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defence minister, said on Twitter that the Kremlin was planning to shut down communications and broadcast huge bogus signals that the country's leadership has given up. Russia has cracked down on domestic criticism, while Kremlin-backed media outlets like RT have been shut down worldwide.

The BBC's coverage of the invasion has enraged the Kremlin, with Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stating, that the BBC plays a deliberate role in undermining Russian stability and security. In addition, Zakharova said that Russia had been the victim of unprecedented information terrorism that was generating panic surrounding Ukrainian events.

(With inputs from agencies)

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