The authorities in southwestern Russia’s Belgorod region have banned sharing information or photographs relating to Ukrainian shelling before attacks have been officially confirmed, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Wednesday evening.
In addition to a blanket ban on anybody publishing photos, videos or any other type of information about military activity of any kind, journalists working in the Belgorod region have been banned from making any mention of telecommunication facilities, industrial concerns, fuel and energy complexes, bridges, or any other other significant infrastructure in the region.
Residents of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine and has been subject to some of the most damaging airstrikes launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine at targets in Russia, can now only publish information about shelling following an official announcement from the authorities or law enforcement agencies confirming an attack, Gladkov continued, adding that anybody found to have violated the rule would face misdemeanour charges.
“The authorities and law enforcement agencies have now been granted exclusive rights to publish information first, after which it can be disseminated by the media and other sources such as Telegram channels and social media,” Gladkov said.
While similar measures are already in place in western Russia’s Voronezh region, the Belgorod region plans to enforce the order differently, and will not restrict military channels from reporting incoming Ukrainian drones, one anonymous source told Novaya Gazeta Europe.
A similar ban on sharing information about missile attacks is being planned by the Belgorod authorities, the source told Novaya Europe. The region currently only restricts the public sharing of photos and videos of attacks, meaning that making recordings or taking photographs is still permitted. Previously, it was only sharing details of Ukrainian attacks on military facilities in the region that was banned in Belgorod.