YouTube Blocks Russian Parliament Channel

YouTube has blocked Duma TV which broadcast the lower House of Parliament of Russia, drawing an angry reaction from the officials who said that the world's most popular streaming service could also face restrictions in response. 

YouTube has been under pressure for a few days from Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor and the officials were quick to respond. The communications watchdog has also urged YouTube to restore access to the Duma channel immediately.

Duma spokesperson Vyacheslav Volodin said YouTube's move is further evidence of rights and freedoms violation by Washington. "The United States wants to monopolize the promotion of information. We can't let it happen," he said on Telegram.

Russia has already restricted access to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter since deploying thousands of troops to Ukraine on February 24. Russia had previously attempted to ban the Telegram messaging app, which is now widely used by authorities, but lifted the ban in mid-2020.

Some Russian media considered the move a settlement, but Roskomnadzor said that the platform did so because the app's Russian founder Pavel Durov helped counter-terrorism and extremism on the platform.