Media Suppression in Russia
By: Tamara Köhler
Feb 24, 2023
Today marks one year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This week’s graph highlights the increasing suppression of media in Russia and Putin’s efforts to monopolize control.
Government repression of independent media has seriously worsened during Putin’s rule. As soon as he took office in 2000, he assumed control over Russia’s most powerful medium, television. 82 journalists and media workers have been killed in Russia between 1992 and 2023. In 2012 he signed the foreign agent law, the main tool for repressing independent Russian media since then. During the 2014 annexation of Crimea, state-controlled media systemically spread disinformation, including that Crimea has “always been Russian”. Independent journalists faced violence, harassment, and intimidation. Today, all major TV channels are either run by the state or by businesses with close ties to the Kremlin. The crackdown on independent media is walling off Russians from the truth about the devastating war in Ukraine.
Freedom of expression is not just a fundamental human right. It is the backbone of democracy. Autocratic leaders like Putin censor the media, pushing the country further towards autocratization.
