Russia-Ukraine War: Moscow Blocks F.B. In-Country

Russia said it would block F.B. for excluding state media and CNN said it would stop broadcasting in Russia after a new law punishing "fake news" raised the stakes in Moscow's fight with foreign corporations.

An escalation in the dispute began after the invasion of Ukraine. Russia blocked a wave of media companies, and new, big names announced they were shutting down Russian sales, including Microsoft Corp MSFT.O and video game maker Electronic Arts Inc EA.O.

Russia said that Meta Platforms Inc's FB.O was being blocked for restricting state-backed channels. It also blocked websites of the BBC, Deutsche Welle, and Voice of America for what it said was false information about the war in Ukraine.

Twitter TWTR.N will also be blocked, Russian media said.

Following the introduction of a new law that could jail anyone found to spread "fake" news intentionally, the BBC said it would temporarily suspend its work in Russia.

AT&T Inc's T.N. CNN is stopping broadcasts to "evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward," a spokesperson said.

Russians have downloaded VPN software to circumvent state restrictions. Even so, Cogent CCOI.O, the 2nd largest carrier out of Russia, has announced plans to cut service, as part of an effort to avoid being used for cyberattacks.