Ukraine: YouTube blocked more than 70,000 videos and 9,000 channels in Russia

The YouTube video platform has taken down numerous channels that published videos about the war in Ukraine and downplayed the violent acts committed in connection with it. In total, more than 9,000 channels and 70,000 videos are said to have been removed from the platform.

The group has the opposite The guardian confirms that the affected videos and channels have been banned from the platform for gross violations of YouTube’s policies. With a policy against downplaying violent events, the Google service rules that any content that presents the invasion of Ukraine as a liberation mission should not be published on YouTube.

Of course, Russia’s war of aggression is seen as a major event of violence, so trivial statements are undesirable on YouTube and blocked by the platform. Infographic: NATO is also gaining ground in the north? YouTube has not published an exact list of the content that has been removed. However, the blocked channels are said to contain the accounts of journalists known for their pro-Russian coverage. In addition, official accounts of the Russian authorities would be affected by the measures.

YouTube is still available in Russia

According to YouTube CPO Neal Mohan, about 40 million views have been accumulated in Ukraine about the war so far. Corresponding channels also play a not inconsiderable role in Russia. YouTube is currently used by more than 90 million Russian users. While there are of course many critical messages related to the war in Ukraine on YouTube, the service was not blocked in Russia. However, YouTube will refrain from showing ads in the country.