Anxiety is taking over Moscow after Russia moved to clamp down free speech by blocking access to Facebook in the country and threatening up to 15 years in prison for those who stray from Vladimir Putin’s narrative on the war in Ukraine.
The move comes amid worldwide outrage after Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine, sparking a fire in the facility.
It also comes as thousands of people, mostly women and children, raced to leave Ukraine under constant airstrikes. The Russian bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has devastated residential areas and business districts. Photos and videos of the devastation have been shared across social media, but especially on Facebook.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Europeans on Friday, urging them to “take to the streets” to support Ukraine. Protesters did so in Bratislava, Frankfurt, Lyon, Prague, Tbilisi, Vienna and Vilnius.
“Support our freedom, because it is a victory not only over the Russian military — it is a victory of light over darkness,” Zelensky said. “It is a victory of good over evil, the victory of freedom over what is happening today on the territory of Ukraine. Do not be silent. Support Ukraine. Because if Ukraine does not survive, the whole of Europe will not survive. If Ukraine falls, the whole of Europe will fall.”
Read more in The New York Times.
