As of Thursday, it will become much more difficult to find banned Russian channels online in Lithuania, as internet service providers will block access to 12 channels on the sanctions list.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on the Russian TV channels RT, Sputnik, Rossiya RTR/RTR Planeta, Rossiya 24/Russia 24, TV Centre International, NTV/NTV Mir, Rossiya 1, REN TV and Pervyi Kanal.
“As soon as the Council of Europe sanctions came into force in February, we immediately monitored all those channels and listed all the IP addresses where Russian propaganda TV is being broadcast,” said Rimantas Bagdzevičius, Chairman of the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission.
“We met with all the internet providers and found a solution right away,” he added.
The measures will also help at least to some extent curb the so-called TV boxes, which are used to watch hundreds of channels, including Russian ones, for free.
“Whether that content is accessed through a browser or through pirated IP TV boxes, it is essentially the same source, and blocking it will prevent access,” said Tomas Burovas, CEO of Cgates.
But experts note that while such a step is necessary, it is naive to expect that it will not be bypassed.
“As we know, in the computer world, for every solution there is another solution that can overcome it. If you change the address, illegal service providers may try to provide those services again,” said Arvydas Žukauskas, head of the Internet Service Providers Association.
Lithuania is so far the only EU country that has ordered internet service providers to block IP addresses.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania also banned media owned, controlled, or financed by Moscow or Belarus.
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