The Kremlin is tightening its grip over what Russians can do and see online, making it harder for outlets like the BBC to reach their audiences.
For the past 80 years, BBC Russian has sought to bypass those restrictions, which for decades featured jamming of its short-wave radio broadcasts and now involve blocking its website.
The latest restrictions in Russia have included widespread mobile internet outages and a reported plan to block the Telegram news and messaging app.
On 24 March 1946, the BBC started its first regular radio broadcast in the Russian language, aiming at giving listeners behind the Iron Curtain in the Soviet Union an alternative to state propaganda and a tightly controlled cultural scene.
By 1949, jamming of the signal was already the norm. For almost half the 20th Century, Soviet people had to jump through hoops to listen to foreign broadcasts. Natalia Rubinstein, an ex-BBC presenter and former resident of Leningrad, recalls how such listening became a sport for many.
We really wanted to know what was being hidden from us, she says, reflecting on the ingenious ways listeners would adapt, such as taking their radios out of town where jammers were less effective.
Jamming of foreign broadcasts was first utilized by Nazi Germany, using more powerful transmitters to disrupt signals. During the Cold War, BBC Russian would repeat its Russian-language bulletin several times a week, allowing Soviet citizens glimpses of Western culture, news, and even music.
In 1987, amid the liberal reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev, BBC Russian experienced a turning point, broadcasting without interference for the first time since it was established.
However, the situation changed drastically with the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022. The BBC's website was blocked, and it became illegal to refer to the invasion as a war. Many BBC journalists had to relocate to continue reporting safely and objectively.
Despite digital barriers, BBC Russian's audience has seen remarkable growth, reaching up to 12 million people weekly. The ongoing demand for uncensored journalism underscores the organization's enduring importance in providing reliable news to Russian-speaking audiences.
Jenny Norton, head of BBC News Russian, emphasizes the value of their reporting amid a landscape marked by increasing censorship: A new generation of Russians are now having to fight to stay connected to the world, and our team has to battle internet blocking and shutdowns to keep on reaching them.
