Russia slaps punitive measures on TikTok, Telegram, other tech firms: Report

Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor did not specify what these punitive measures will be, but said in a statement they were imposed as a response to the companies' failure to remove content that the watchdog flagged as illegal.

Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor on Friday imposed punitive measures against several foreign technological companies, including TikTok, Telegram, Zoom, Discord and Pinterest, news agency Reuters reported.

The measures would remain in place until TikTok, Zoom and other tech companies comply, the statement by Roskomnadzor said.(Reuters File Photo )

Roskomnadzor did not specify what these punitive measures will be, but said in a statement they were imposed as a response to the companies' failure to remove content that the watchdog flagged as illegal. The measures would remain in place until the companies comply, the statement added.

Further details are awaited.

This action of Roskomnadzor comes after a Russian court on Tuesday fined American-based live streaming platform Twitch two million roubles for hosting a short video containing what it calls "fake" information about alleged war crimes in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

Earlier, Russia had also fined messenger service Telegram 11 million roubles for refusing to delete channels which allegedly showed how to "sabotage" military vehicles and hosting "unreliable data" about Russia's progress in Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly threatened to penalise sites, including Google, Twitter and Wikipedia, that it accuses of hosting "fake" content related to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which will soon enter the sixth month.

In the latest news on the Ukraine war, United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently occupied by Russia, should not be cut off from Ukraine's grid, following reports that Moscow was planning to do so.

"Obviously the electricity from Zaporizhzhia is Ukrainian electricity... This principle must be fully respected," Guterres said during a visit to the port of Odessa, AFP reported.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been occupied by Russia since March, and recent incidents of fighting raised the spectre of a nuclear incident comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

(With agency inputs)