MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. YouTube, a video hosting platform owned by the US’ Google, said on Friday it has begun to block accounts of Russian government-sponsored mass media.

"We are also now blocking access to YouTube channels associated with Russian state-funded media globally, expanding from across Europe. This change is effective immediately, and we expect our systems to take time to ramp up," it said on the YouTubeInsider Twitter account.

Apart from that, YouTube also suspended all ways of monetization on its platform in Russia and began to remove content about Russia’s special operation in Ukraine if it doesn’t comply with its internal policy.

Following the launch of the special operation in Ukraine, TikTok blocked access to RT and Sputnik accounts in Europe. YouTube, Google, and Meta (owners of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) switched off monetization for bloggers and restricted access to content in Russia.

In response, Russia’s telecom and mass media watchdog began to restrict access to Facebook.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, its goals were denazification and demilitarization of that country.

Following this step, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and several other countries announced sanctions against Russia individuals and legal entities.