YouTube blocks Russian parliament channel

Google, which fully owns YouTube, is ‘closely monitoring the situation for any updates and changes.’

The YouTube channel of the Russian State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, has been terminated.

"Google is committed to compliance with all applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws. If we find that an account violates our Terms of Service, we take appropriate action," a Google spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO in a statement, adding that the company is "closely monitoring the situation for any updates and changes". YouTube is fully owned by Google. The move was first reported by AFP.

Both in the EU, the U.K. and the U.S., new rounds of sanctions were imposed this week by the EU, U.K. and U.S. following the discovery of mass killings in Bucha, near Kyiv, last week. It's unclear what triggered YouTube's decision to block the channel.

According to Russia's state-owned news agency TASS, Russian telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor has asked Google "to lift restrictions" on the channel.

YouTube had in early March blocked Kremlin-backed media outlets RT and Sputnik — first in Europe, then globally.