Anna Hartz
Social media has become a major battleground in the struggle over information.
Governments across the world are trying to balance free speech with safety online. Europe has been moving to regulate platforms like X, formerly Twitter, to tackle harmful content. Russia, however, has turned these efforts into a propaganda opportunity.
The “Digital Gulag”
Moscow presents Europe as a “digital gulag,” claiming it is suppressing free speech, according to the Kyiv Independent. Russian officials and state media attack legislation in the U.K. and EU, often echoing criticisms from Elon Musk and some U.S. leaders. Russian propaganda portrays any attempt to curb disinformation or harmful content as censorship. Experts say this is false. The EU and national governments aim to create rules for handling illegal or dangerous content, such as child sexual abuse material and false information.
Russian officials, including Kirill Dmitriev, have accused U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of trying to block X. In reality, the British regulator Ofcom launched a probe over sexually explicit AI-generated images, some involving children. X agreed to comply with the law. Fines and compliance measures are part of standard regulation, not censorship.
The campaign extends across Europe. Russian-linked accounts and Telegram channels push the idea that the EU and U.K. silence pro-Russian voices. Moscow also defended Musk after X was fined 120 million euros for lack of transparency under the EU Digital Services Act. Russian propaganda framed the fine as evidence of European tyranny.
Abusing EU Free Speech While Censoring at Home
The EU’s Digital Services Act sets rules for content moderation, transparency, and complaint mechanisms. It does not define illegal content. Member states handle that. Other EU proposals, like Chat Control, aim to prevent child sexual abuse online, though controversial parts have been removed.
Meanwhile, Russia controls its own information space tightly. Independent media has been pushed out, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are blocked, and strict censorship is in place. The country ranks near the bottom in global free speech indexes. Russians must use VPNs to access blocked sites. At the same time, Moscow promotes domestic platforms like VKontakte and Rutube, where it maintains strict control.
Analysts say Russia’s claims of defending free speech abroad are misleading. The country censors its own citizens while using propaganda to attack democratic governments. Attempts to regulate harmful content in Europe are portrayed as threats to freedom, even though they are standard safety measures.
Sources: The Kyiv Independent
