Short Wave Radio in Times of Crisis

Access to BBC websites has been restricted in Russia, hours after the corporation brought back its short wave radio service in Ukraine and Russia to ensure civilians in both countries can access news during the invasion. State communications watchdog Roskomnadzor restricted access to BBC Russia’s online presence, as well as Radio Liberty and the Meduza media outlet, the state-owned Russian RIA news agency reported on Friday.

On Friday, Globalcheck, a service that tracks internet censorship in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), reported that the availability of the entire BBC website was at 17% of normal levels in Russia, which suggested some services had been blocked. Later on Friday, the BBC shared methods to circumnavigate the ban, including the Pisphon app or the Tor Browser.

BBC Russia also reported that Meta, formerly known as Facebook, also appeared to be blocked, as was Google Play. The signs the BBC was being blocked emerged hours after the BBC decided to revert to a mostly obsolete form of broadcasting, broadcasting four hours of its world service, read in English, to Ukraine and parts of Russia each day.

“It’s often said truth is the first casualty of war,” BBC Director-General Tim Davie said in announcing the move on Thursday. “In a conflict where disinformation and propaganda are rife, there is a clear need for factual and independent news people can trust … millions more Russians are turning to the BBC.”

The German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle also reported in Russian that the BBC site was not working in Russia.

The BBC’s shortwave radio broadcast can be found on 15735kHz from 4 pm to 6 pm and on 5875kHz from 10 pm to midnight, Ukraine time. Read the full story on the Guardian website.

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(Source: The Guardian, via Rob McDonnell | SWLing Post [USA]). 

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