U.S. Accuses Zero Hedge of Spreading Russian Propaganda

[notsonice + 1,255]

Russia blocks Twitter as Ukraine invasion escalates

8

Disturbing images from the invasion have circulated widely on the platform

By Russell Brandom  Updated Feb 26, 2022, 12:55pm EST

 

As the invasion of Ukraine enters its third day, Russia has blocked access to Twitter in an apparent effort to stifle the flow of information, according to a report from the internet monitoring group NetBlocks. Beginning Saturday morning, NetBlocks saw failed or heavily throttled connections across every major Russian telecom provider, including Rostelecom, MTS, Beeline, and MegaFon. Russians are still able to access Twitter through VPN services, but direct connections are restricted.

198 UKRAINIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE FIGHTING

Journalists on the ground in Russia have confirmed the block. A BBC reporter described access as “severely restricted,” saying “this message got through, but took a while.”

The motivation behind the restrictions is unclear, but comes amid a broader crackdown on social media platforms in the country. Friday night, Russia announced a new block on Facebook after the platform removed the accounts of four state-run media organizations, a move the government described as a violation of “the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.”

“We’re aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our service safe and accessible,” Twitter said in a tweet. When asked for comment, Twitter redirected The Verge to the above tweet.

Fighting remains heated across Ukraine as Russian forces focus their attack on the capital city Kyiv. As of Saturday, the capital remained in the hands of the Ukrainian government. According to the country’s health minister, 198 Ukrainians have been killed in the fighting and more than 1,000 have been wounded.

Russian state media has presented a heavily sanitized version of the conflict, focused largely on the plight of refugees from the Eastern Donbas province.

Social media platforms have painted a more chaotic picture, with disturbing images and videos from the conflict circulating widely. One widely circulated video shows a Russian missile striking a residential apartment tower in Kyiv, an apparent violation of international law. Other images appear to show the use of cluster munitions, although the evidence is still unverified.

Internet access in Ukraine itself remains active and Twitter has not been blocked in the country itself. Some analysts have raised concerns that Russian forces could seize telecom infrastructure and institute an internet blackout as the conflict intensifies, but so far outages have been sporadic and localized around Kharkiv.

Update February 26th 11:58AM ET: Updated to add a tweet from Twitter Support.

Update February 26th 12:54PM ET: Updated to add a response from Twitter and a new tweet from Twitter Public Policy.

[bloodman33 + 22]

Zero Hedge is far right wing Traitor Trump loving Financial junk mixed in with some legitimate articles.  That is the best way to disseminate propaganda.  It is amazing the true fake news they put out.  That said, I am making a fortune in oil, refinery and tanker stocks and it will all be going to Democrats that support the middle class.

[Darrell Black + 1]

On 2/15/2022 at 9:39 PM, Andrei Moutchkine said:

Don't get your hopes up. 2/3 of the Chinese population leaves along the coast. The parts bordering Russia are considered underpopulated! and receive special subsidies.

Only about 1/3 of the Chinese population lives on the east coast or abourt 400 million people. The other 900 million live in the interior and frankly are quite poor. Majority of the good paying jobs are on the east coast. Been to China....all over it.....

 

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

23 hours ago, bloodman33 said:

Zero Hedge is far right wing Traitor Trump loving Financial junk mixed in with some legitimate articles.  That is the best way to disseminate propaganda.  It is amazing the true fake news they put out.  That said, I am making a fortune in oil, refinery and tanker stocks and it will all be going to Democrats that support the middle class.

Is "traitor trump" appropriate scholarly communication style? Because  this is what we do on this site.

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

On 2/26/2022 at 7:26 PM, notsonice said:

Russia blocks Twitter as Ukraine invasion escalates

8

Disturbing images from the invasion have circulated widely on the platform

By Russell Brandom  Updated Feb 26, 2022, 12:55pm EST

 

As the invasion of Ukraine enters its third day, Russia has blocked access to Twitter in an apparent effort to stifle the flow of information, according to a report from the internet monitoring group NetBlocks. Beginning Saturday morning, NetBlocks saw failed or heavily throttled connections across every major Russian telecom provider, including Rostelecom, MTS, Beeline, and MegaFon. Russians are still able to access Twitter through VPN services, but direct connections are restricted.

198 UKRAINIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE FIGHTING

Journalists on the ground in Russia have confirmed the block. A BBC reporter described access as “severely restricted,” saying “this message got through, but took a while.”

The motivation behind the restrictions is unclear, but comes amid a broader crackdown on social media platforms in the country. Friday night, Russia announced a new block on Facebook after the platform removed the accounts of four state-run media organizations, a move the government described as a violation of “the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.”

“We’re aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our service safe and accessible,” Twitter said in a tweet. When asked for comment, Twitter redirected The Verge to the above tweet.

Fighting remains heated across Ukraine as Russian forces focus their attack on the capital city Kyiv. As of Saturday, the capital remained in the hands of the Ukrainian government. According to the country’s health minister, 198 Ukrainians have been killed in the fighting and more than 1,000 have been wounded.

Russian state media has presented a heavily sanitized version of the conflict, focused largely on the plight of refugees from the Eastern Donbas province.

Social media platforms have painted a more chaotic picture, with disturbing images and videos from the conflict circulating widely. One widely circulated video shows a Russian missile striking a residential apartment tower in Kyiv, an apparent violation of international law. Other images appear to show the use of cluster munitions, although the evidence is still unverified.

Internet access in Ukraine itself remains active and Twitter has not been blocked in the country itself. Some analysts have raised concerns that Russian forces could seize telecom infrastructure and institute an internet blackout as the conflict intensifies, but so far outages have been sporadic and localized around Kharkiv.

Update February 26th 11:58AM ET: Updated to add a tweet from Twitter Support.

Update February 26th 12:54PM ET: Updated to add a response from Twitter and a new tweet from Twitter Public Policy.

Twitter blocks RT and Sputnik EU-wide. EU passes law banning them too. RT America forced closed.

[notsonice + 1,255]

On Wednesday Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s leading independent newspaper, reported that children were detained by Russian police for laying flowers and anti-war signs at the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow.

 

Navalny urges Russians to protest daily against Ukraine invasion

Jailed Kremlin critic calls on Russians to ‘fight for peace’, as he dubs Russian President Putin ‘an insane little tsar’.

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny said the country should not be a 'nation of frightened cowards' [File: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo]

Published On 2 Mar 20222 Mar 2022

 

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny has urged Russians to stage daily protests against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the country should not be a “nation of frightened cowards” and calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “an insane little tsar”.

“I am urging everyone to take to the streets and fight for peace,” he said in statements posted on Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday, calling on Russians not to be afraid of going to prison.

If, to prevent war, we need to fill up the jails and police vans, we will fill up the jails and police vans.”

“Everything has a price and now, in the spring of 2022, we should pay that price.”

The 45-year-old, who has led the biggest protests in Russia against Putin in recent years and survived a poisoning with Novichok nerve agent in 2020, is now serving a prison sentence on old fraud charges.

Navalny’s movement had previously called for a campaign of civil disobedience to protest against Russia’s invasion of its western neighbour.

Several rounds of anti-war protests have already taken place in cities across Russia. More than 6,800 people have been arrested for taking part in the demonstrations, according to independent protest monitoring group OVD-Info.

“Putin is not Russia. And if there is anything in Russia right now that you can be most proud of, it is those 6,824 people who were detained because – without any call – they took to the streets with placards saying “No War”, Navalny wrote on Twitter.

Navalny urged the people of Russia and Belarus – which allowed Russian troops passage to attack Ukraine – to demonstrate in main squares at 7pm every weekday and at 2pm on weekends and during holidays. Those who live abroad should gather at Russian embassies to protest, he said.

“You cannot wait another day,” he said, adding that Russia should not become a “nation of frightened cowards” who are pretending not to see an “aggressive war unleashed by our clearly insane little tsar”.

Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh also reiterated his call to protest on Twitter.

“The most important [thing]: to spread information. If you are afraid of reposting (although it’s late for fear) – at least spread it among your acquaintances by word of mouth… No war,” Yarmysh said.

Navalny, the most prominent opponent of President Putin, was jailed last year after he returned to Russia from Germany following his recovery from what Western laboratory tests established was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent in Siberia. Russia denied carrying out such an attack.

Since then, authorities have clamped down even more tightly on his movement, and key figures have fled into exile after being designated by the authorities as “foreign agents”.

On Wednesday Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s leading independent newspaper, reported that children were detained by Russian police for laying flowers and anti-war signs at the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow.

“In the Presnensky police department, children and their parents are left overnight,” the newspaper tweeted in Russian, alongside a photo of the children and their parents.

Edited March 4, 2022 by notsonice