European Union bans Russian media outlets; G7 threatens new sanctions

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its fifth day, the European Union has banned the Kremlin's media outlets like Sputnik and Russia Today into its territory.

Announcing the decision, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "We will ban the Kremlin's media machine in the EU. The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, and their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin's war."

She also said, "We are developing tools to ban their toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe."

The European Union considered these two state-owned media outlets as propaganda organs in the service of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Her statements come hours after Putin ordered his nuclear forces to be on high alert. 

Prior to this, Poland and Estonia regulators have already banned them while Western countries like the UK and France have renewed scrutiny on Russian Today. 

On February, the European Union imposed a slew of sanctions against the Russian administration in the wake of its attacks against the Ukrainian armed forces. 

Let us review the top developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis:

* The G7 has threatened Russia with new sanctions if the Ukraine invasion continues. G7 further announced that Russian military gains in Ukraine will not be recognized.

* Russian President Putin ordered nuclear deterrence be put on alert

* Ukraine agreed to hold talks with Russia at the Belarus border

* The European Union closed its airspace for Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft. They will not be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU.

* The EU announced that it will target the other aggressor in this war, Lukashenko's regime, with a new package of sanctions, hitting their most important sectors.

* The European Union will buy weapons for Ukraine to fight against Russia.

* Russians attack a gas pipeline and oil tanks in Ukraine 

* Over 1700 anti-war activists were arrested by the Russian Police on Sunday as they were protesting against the country's invasion of Ukraine. In the last four days, more than 5500 activists have been arrested. 

* Moscow has restricted access to some social media platforms to try and keep informed of the situation in Ukraine from the Russian public.

* Ukraine Army has regained control of Kharkiv from the Russian Army, which is its second-largest city. 

* The US and its partners have moved to block certain Russian banks' access to the SWIFT international payment system in further punishment of Moscow.

Also Read: Russia-Ukraine war: Google halts Russian state media monetisation across platforms

Also Read: US says no evacuation, advises citizens to depart Ukraine through available commercial options

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