Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine under info blackout: No connections without passports
Russia will block SIM cards in temporarily occupied territories that are not linked to Russian passports (Photo: Getty Images)
Russia is creating an information blockade in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and is obstructing access to Ukrainian and international sources of information, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
In particular, representatives of the occupation authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions have signed decrees banning the sale, installation, and use of satellite television equipment that can receive Ukrainian TV channels.
By November 1, the temporarily occupied territories were supposed to have all such illegal equipment, according to their interpretation, fully confiscated.
Additionally, the Kremlin has mandated the blocking of Russian SIM cards for civilians who have not linked their passport data to them.
“This decision aims to accelerate forced ‘passportization’ and exert additional pressure on Ukrainians who refuse to obtain Russian passports,” the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine stated.
Residents of the temporarily occupied territories who refuse passportization will completely lose access to mobile communications.
'Bot-censor'
At the same time, the occupiers have required authors of Telegram channels in the temporarily occupied territories with more than 10,000 subscribers to add a special bot from Roskomnadzor.
The bot has administrator rights and can edit or delete posts, as well as block comments. Therefore, any messages exposing corruption in occupation administrations or criticizing the Russian government can be immediately deleted or altered.
“The goal of these measures is to create an information ‘bubble’ in the temporarily occupied territories, where access to Ukrainian and international resources is blocked and any information not controlled by the Kremlin is immediately censored,” the Main Intelligence Directorate emphasized.
Cutting off communications and the internet in the temporarily occupied territories
As RBC-Ukraine previously reported, citing the National Resistance Center, telecom operators in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will be required to disconnect users from mobile networks and the internet at the request of the FSB.
By decision of the Russian president or government, security services will be able to temporarily restrict access to communications, without a court, explanations, or any responsibility on the part of the operators.
In occupied Crimea, Russia has already restricted two popular messaging apps, Telegram and WhatsApp, and is requiring the use of the Russian messenger Max instead.
At the same time, Russia has introduced an Orthodox messenger called Zosima, which has already sparked criticism over the mass collection of personal data.
