Editors at the Saratov-based agency Svobodnye Novosti reported that their website has been blocked within the Russian Federation. Maria Aleksashina, who serves as editor-in-chief, shared with socialbites.ca that the site remains inaccessible and that the reason for the blockage is not being disclosed. According to the editors, the regional department of Roskomnadzor learned of the restriction directly from journalists and claimed they had no interest in such issues. The editors emphasized that no official explanation accompanied the blocking, and it appears the authorities did not acknowledge involvement in the disruption when approached. They attempted to contact the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, but received no substantive comment. The agency advised filing an appeal, with a theoretical five-day window for consideration, yet in practice the timeline remains unclear. For Svobodnye Novosti, this represents an unprecedented scope of disruption, and the editors await clarity from the agency. Records available to the publication do not specify which government body requested the restriction, what material drew attention, or which bureau was responsible, leaving readers to infer scope and intent. The editorial team stated plainly that the site is currently blocked within the Russian Federation.
Further compounding the situation, the editors noted that communications with Roskomnadzor’s regional office yielded a similar lack of information: officials claimed no awareness of the block, indicating that they had learned of the restriction only through the editors themselves. An appeal to the federal Roskomnadzor produced no remarks beyond an invitation to submit a formal appeal, supposedly to be reviewed within five days, though the editors and readers alike remain uncertain about the actual processing timeline. The blocking marks an unusual event for Svobodnye Novosti, which has not previously faced such an extensive restriction. In the exchange the editors described, there was no explicit statement about which government agency ordered the block, nor which specific materials attracted heightened scrutiny or which department carried out the action. As of the latest update, the newsroom continued to monitor developments and awaited a clear response from authorities.
On April 10, Svobodnye Novosti’s social channels conveyed that their news site had become inaccessible to users serviced by major Russian internet providers. Readers reported a range of experiences: some encountered empty loading screens, others were shown messages indicating that access to the resource was restricted under Federal Law No. 149, On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection. Journalists observed that international readers did not encounter the same problems, suggesting a geographicly specific enforcement pattern. This is not an isolated incident; Roskomnadzor has previously blocked significant online portals, such as Sakh.com in Sakhalin, signaling a broader trend of information access control that affects domestic audiences more than international ones. The editors stressed that the lack of public, transparent justification for the block hinders the ability of readers to understand what prompted the action and raises concerns about press freedom and information access in the nation.