Belarus has escalated its assault on independent media by banning the Euronews website, designating it as “extremist” and adding it to the country’s official “Republican List of Extremist Materials.” The decision, taken by the Ministry of Information in Minsk, took effect immediately, with access to Euronews’ digital platforms restricted across Belarusian territory, according to the outlet’s real-time traffic monitoring.
As of Saturday, Belarusian authorities had not communicated the decision to Euronews, nor provided any rationale. The move, reportedly dated 4 August, follows a pattern of opaque and unilateral actions against the broadcaster. In April 2021, Minsk had already banned Euronews’ television broadcasts, citing an expired license and alleged advertising irregularities, though the real trigger was the channel’s coverage of mass protests against President Aliaksandr Lukashenka.
Euronews was not notified of that earlier ban either, learning of it only through Belarusian media reports. In a statement at the time, the outlet condemned the decision and vowed to “do its utmost to ensure that its audiences in Belarus can very soon again have access, on television, to its hallmark impartial and quality journalism,” while continuing to serve them through digital platforms.
Following Russia’s lead
The latest Belarusian action mirrors Moscow’s move in March 2022, when Russia blocked Euronews’ television and digital platforms across the country, shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian audio-visual regulator Roskomnadzor, acting on a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office, accused Euronews of publishing “unreliable information” about the “special military operation” and of calling for participation in mass events. Euronews rejected the allegations, stating that it “firmly condemn[s] this intolerable restriction imposed on the millions of people across Russia who relied on Euronews, more than ever, to get impartial fact-based news, in a context of heightened disinformation and propaganda.”
Since then, Russian authorities have criminalised the dissemination of information that “discredits” the armed forces, with journalists facing up to 15 years in prison. More recently, Euronews uncovered a campaign of fake news videos on Russian social media that copied the outlet’s visual style to spread false political content, part of a broader effort to undermine Western media.
Belarus’s ban comes on the same day that the Kremlin blocked dozens of VPN services used by Russians to circumvent internet restrictions, a move experts described as one of the largest crackdowns on VPNs in recent years. Russia has also imposed legislation criminalising “searching for extremist content online” and has moved to fully block Telegram and WhatsApp across the country, triggering rare pushback from Kremlin supporters.
The Iranian government has similarly followed Russia’s playbook, cutting off internet access during anti-regime protests in January 2026 and maintaining the ban throughout the ensuing conflict.
Euronews had built a significant audience in both Belarus and Russia over the years, with digital traffic data showing substantial viewership. The bans in Minsk and Moscow are part of a coordinated effort by authoritarian regimes to silence independent journalism and control the flow of information to their citizens.
The European Union has condemned such measures, with sharp criticism from Brussels and warnings from Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya that the ban turns viewers into targets. The crackdown also comes amid heightened tensions, including Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and new US sanctions on Russian energy revenues.
For now, Euronews continues to operate its digital platforms for audiences outside Belarus and Russia, but the latest ban underscores the growing difficulty of accessing independent news in these countries. The outlet has stated it will continue to pursue all legal avenues to restore access for its Belarusian viewers.
