In March 2022, the European Union banned RT, Sputnik, and other Kremlin-controlled media outlets, rightly accusing them of spreading disinformation to justify and support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
And yet… Three years later, according to a report by the ISD (Institute for Strategic Dialogue), these banned media outlets are still widely accessible in the EU. They circumvent sanctions through mirror sites and alternative addresses… and the inaction of European institutions gives them free rein.
The facts:
• 26 sanctioned entities → 58 different domains still active.
• Some countries, such as Slovakia and Poland, allow almost all sites to pass.
• Even in the most vigilant countries, the blocking remains incomplete.
• Accounts on X continue to massively relay their links to French- and German-speaking audiences.
While Ukraine continues to suffer daily Russian bombings of civilian infrastructure, and civilians are killed every day, the Russian propaganda machine continues to infiltrate our societies.
Every day, these media outlets participate in Moscow’s hybrid war against our democracies, undermining truth, solidarity, and collective security.
We demand:
• A single, exhaustive, and continuously updated European list of all sanctioned domains and subdomains.
• A clear and controlled obligation for access providers to block this content.
• Sanctions against operators who allow the Kremlin’s war propaganda to circulate.
Letting RT and Sputnik spread their lies means allowing Putin to strike Mariupol, Buchá, and Izium again, this time not with bombs, but by infiltrating our minds.
There can be no half measures against war propaganda. Let’s block it. Let’s defend Ukraine. Let’s defend the truth. Let’s defend our democracies.
