rsf.org

11/20/2024

In 2024, the Kremlin rolled out AI-based censorship techniques, continued its fierce crackdown on independent journalism, intensified VPN blocks, hindered access to content on international platforms like YouTube and Telegram, and decided to invest over 660 million USD (nearly 630 million euros) over five years in a digital control infrastructure designed to block Russian citizens’ access to independent information. This amount is nearly 50 times bigger than the budgets of Russian media in exile, according to the latest report published by The Fix, a media think tank, and the JX Fund, a support fund for exiled journalism created by RSF in collaboration with the German foundations Rudolf Augstein and Schöpflin.

The Crucial Role of Exiled Outlets

“What Russia is building is not just a national censorship machine — it’s a laboratory for digital repression that seeks to become a model for other countries. Independent Russian media in exile are the last line of defence against the Kremlin’s extensive propaganda operation. Abandoning them as they face increasingly sophisticated tools of repression risks creating an unprecedented information blackout. RSF calls on European states to provide financial and logistical support, on international donors to strengthen their support, and on tech giants to stop yielding to the Kremlin’s pressure and ensure fair access to their platforms.

Jeanne Cavelier
Head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk