Russia blocks CIA, FBI websites for ‘spreading false information’

Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor said on Friday it had blocked the websites of the CIA and FBI, accusing the two US government agencies of spreading false information, the TASS news agency reported.

“Roskomnadzor has restricted access to a number of resources belonging to state structures of hostile countries for disseminating material aimed at destabilizing the social and political situation in Russia,” Roskomnadzor said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

TASS quoted Roskomnadzor as saying that the two American websites had published inaccurate material and information that had discredited the Russian armed forces.

There was no immediate comment from Washington or from the US Embassy in Moscow.

Russia has made it a criminal offence to discredit its armed forces, a crime punishable by up to five years in jail, while knowingly distributing “false information” about the military carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year, Roskomnadzor has blocked a host of independent media outlets, some foreign news websites and social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.