Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) has ordered the blocking of 22 Russian media sites, saying they had been used as part of an information war against the country.
They outlets targeted include broadcaster Channel 1, NTV, Ren TV, VGTRK and RT (Russia Today).
In a statement, SIS said it said it had contacted network and/or electronic communication service providers in the country to immediately stop access to the sites.
The move was condemned by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova who called it a violation of “freedom of speech” and an “openly hostile step towards Russia”.
She said the decision went against the interests of ordinary Moldovan, the majority of which speak Russian.
She noted that the decision came less than two weeks before local elections in Moldova on Nov. 5.
„It seems that the official Chisinau, which is unprovenly accusing Russia of interfering in the election campaign, is trying to improve their situation in this way,” she said
Moldova restricted TV broadcasts of Russia-produced news, analytical and military-related content in June 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.
Romanian is the official language in Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania, but Russian is still widely spoken.
Moldova’s relations with Moscow have soured since Russia invaded Ukraine.
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