Donetsk, Oct 19 — DAN. Russian lawmakers have approved the third reading of the law on blocking, on an extrajudicial basis, the websites and social media accounts that raise funds for the needs of the Ukrainian army, the press service of the State Duma lower house of the Russian parliament reported.
As of now blocking webpages or social media accounts is only possible by a court decision. The Roskomnadzor communications watchdog can henceforth do it without legal action, at the petition of the prosecutor general or his deputies.
The law was submitted for consideration in late September 2022. The explanatory note said that numerous foreign websites were spreading the information on money-raising to support the Ukrainian army. It is a threat to Russia’s security that requires prompt response, it said.
The law approved by the State Duma has been sent to the Federation Council upper house of the Russian parliament for consideration.*jk