Despite EU bans, Russian media sites remain accessible across European Union territories
The European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on Russian state-controlled media organizations, including RT and Sputnik, in response to accusations of "information warfare" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, the enforcement of these sanctions has been weak, with many alternative or new domains remaining accessible, undermining their effectiveness.
The European Commission has failed to maintain a "definitive list" of all web addresses associated with sanctioned Kremlin-linked media, leading to incomplete blocking by internet service providers (ISPs) in several EU countries. An investigation found that over 75% of attempts to access sanctioned sites in six EU countries were successful, with some major countries like Slovakia failing to block any tested domains.
To strengthen enforcement, the European Commission is urged to integrate comprehensive domain lists directly into the sanctions packages and include them on its online sanctions dashboard. This would provide clear guidance to member states and ISPs to effectively target and block access to these domains.
Member states should also require ISPs to block all associated domains and subdomains, continually updating blocking lists as new domains appear. The use of automated monitoring tools and third-party intelligence can help detect and map new domain registrations linked to sanctioned entities, enabling proactive enforcement.
Cooperation among member states and between public authorities, ISPs, and digital platforms is also crucial to share up-to-date threat intelligence on sanctions evasion tactics. The network of websites masquerading as Western media, known as Pravda, targets chatbots to reach a wider audience, posing a challenge to Western democracies.
Despite the sanctions, Russian state media continues to maintain a strong online presence, with some sanctioned domains having over 50,000 monthly visitors from countries like Germany. Slovakia, whose prime minister Robert Fico is known for his pro-Russia position, "performed the worst in terms of enforcement" with all sanctioned domains accessible in tests. France's and Germany's internet service providers were most effective, according to a report.
However, it's important to note that most sanctioned domains had little traction - gaining under a thousand views per month in the EU. The EU can improve enforcement by maintaining and publicly sharing a continuously updated, comprehensive list of all domain iterations used by sanctioned media entities, thereby reducing the ability of Kremlin-controlled media to circumvent EU sanctions.
The ISD also urged the EU to monitor social media activity of sanctioned entities and track other pro-Russian accounts. Slovakia's legal mandates to block pro-Russian websites expired in 2022 after lawmakers failed to extend them, leaving a gap in enforcement. More than three years after the ban, sanctioned outlets are still active and accessible across EU member states.
In conclusion, while the EU has taken steps to sanction Kremlin-controlled media, the enforcement of these sanctions has been ineffective due to a lack of transparency and a comprehensive approach. Improvements in enforcement can be made by integrating comprehensive domain lists into sanctions packages, requiring ISPs to block all associated domains, using automated monitoring tools, and encouraging cooperation among member states.
The European Commission needs to integrate comprehensive domain lists directly into the sanctions packages for Kremlin-linked media entities and include them on its online sanctions dashboard, to provide clear guidance for member states and internet service providers (ISPs) to effectively block these domains.
Member states should require ISPs to block all associated domains and subdomains used by sanctioned Russian media organizations, and actively update their blocking lists as new domains appear, as a proactive approach to enforcement.
