EU-wide Bans of Russian Media Outlets – More Than a Political Signal?
On May 17th, 2024, the European Council adopted a new package of EU sanctions directed against Russia, suspending the broadcasting activities of four major pro-Russian media outlets in Europe. Since the sanctioned platforms have been heavily involved in the spread of disinformation surrounding Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the ban of these outlets seems like an obvious and necessary step. However, given how easily Russian actors have been able to circumvent the blocking of media outlets, the question arises as to how effective the sanctions actually are.