YouTube removes over 9,000 channels regarding the Ukraine war

YouTube is used by 90 million people in Russia. However, it has stopped allowing advertising on the platform. Navalny protested the decision of YouTube’s parent company Google. He claimed that well-targeted ads help counter Kremlin propaganda.

Last week, Maksut Shahaev, Russia’s minister for digital development, stated that YouTube would not be blocked despite content disputes that led to YouTube being fined by a court for failing to remove banned videos.

Shadaev stated that users would be affected if Russia’s most popular social media platform is blocked. Minister Shadaev stated that YouTube will not be closed. “Above all, we need to understand that when we restrict something, our users will not suffer.”

YouTube also banned all channels that are associated with Russian state media such as Russia Today and Sputnik. In response to their bans on Russian state media, Instagram and Facebook have been banned in Russia. Twitter access has been restricted.