Russia has moved to throttle independent media after its invasion of Ukraine, allowing state television to dominate the airwaves with broadcasting that relentlessly promotes Russian successes and carefully toes the Kremlin line. Even in the restrictive climate under President Vladimir Putin, Russia before the invasion still had a relatively diverse landscape in television, newspapers, and online. But draconian new rules ordered after the operation was launched, which have made it illegal to call the military action an "invasion" or disseminate "fake" news about it, have transformed the scene.
The two pillars of Russian independent media over the last years—the radio Echo of Moscow (Ekho Moskvy) and TV channel Rain (Dozhd)—have halted broadcasts, while access has been blocked to pro-opposition online news sites and major social networks. The changes leave "no space for free speech and opinion on the war," said the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic. This has left Russian state television's slick but aggressive news broadcasts dominating the airwaves, giving them every chance to shape public opinion. Channel One's main news show Vremya (Time), an evening fixture since the Soviet era, opens each night by hailing the exploits of individual Russian soldiers who have shown "heroism and courage" in battle. There is no mention of the death toll; Moscow has said 498 soldiers have died but Ukraine and Western sources claim it is much higher.
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