An anti-terrorist statute prohibiting the distribution of false or extremist material was violated by the Russia media watchdog Roskomnadzor on Friday.

According to an item on the RFI website, Roskomnadzor “did not define” how the radio station had broken the legislation. However, the Russian media watchdog simply said that it had done so in response to a request from the office of the Russian prosecutor general.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, RFI’s platforms, including the French and Russian language sites, have been providing 24-hour coverage of the events in Ukraine, the story stated.

AFP journalists in Moscow were unable to access RFI’s English, French, or Russian language websites after it was added to Roskomnadzor’s list of prohibited websites on Friday.

As the conflict in Ukraine escalates, Russia has stepped its attempts to stifle independent media and government critics of Russia’s “military operation” in the country.

Government-denied information regarding the military can now carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years in Russia.

Access to dozens of non-government media outlets has been limited, and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are no longer accessible.

The Moscow Times’ Russian-language website was banned by Russian authorities on Friday because of its coverage of Ukraine.

Derk Sauer, the Dutch entrepreneur who founded the Moscow Times in 1992, stated the Russian service was taken down because of what “authorities deem a bogus story about riot police officers refusing to combat in Ukraine”.

The publication’s English-language website has been unaffected.