SBU Shuts Down Ukrainian Access to UOJ-America

Kiev—The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection in Ukraine published two orders (179/2980 and 183/2984) between March 29-31 titled: "On restricting access to internet resources." The orders require Ukrainian internet service providers to block access to UOJ-America and the Bulgarian Bureau of the UOJ.

According to the orders themselves, the request was made by the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU), the successor organization to the KGB of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian: Committee derzhavnoi bezpeky URSR). The motives or arguments for blocking Ukrainian's access to local coverage of American and Bulgarian church life and opinions were not included in the documents themselves.

The orders claim that the ban is "temporary" and will expire with the end of martial law in Ukraine.

This ban is the latest in a series of attacks on independent journalism in Ukraine. In January of this year, the authorities blocked access to the Ukrainian and Russian bureaus of the UOJ for the fifth time. UOJ of Ukraine filed a lawsuit challenging the illegal ban.

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