VLADIVOSTOK, September 11. /TASS/. A certain tightening of rules in the information sphere during the special military operation (SMO) is justified, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
"Additional methods of regulation or even, I will not hesitate to say so - of tightening the rules - are quite justified. We are not just in the conditions of a special military operation. We exist in the conditions of a hybrid war unleashed against our country. War is war. During the war it is necessary to be responsible in terms of information and not to permit irresponsible rumors and provocations, given the power and role of information flows in modern life," the Kremlin spokesman said in an interview with RBC.
"The conditions of the special military operation oblige all of us to live and work in special conditions as far as information is concerned. This leaves an imprint on the entire information field, on all media workers and on all opinion leaders, whose comments can in one way or another influence the masses of people," Peskov explained.
At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman noted that "there is also room for discussion."
"Discussions are going on unabated. The public opinion is trying to sort out different matters, but it should all be strictly regulated in the context of the current circumstances we are facing now," Peskov said. He called very difficult the question where the borderline between provocations, fake news and sound criticism could be drawn.
"It is necessary to be strictly guided by the law. Any references to the fact that tougher restrictions are not to somebody’s liking are absolutely inappropriate and inadmissible," Peskov said. "One must follow the law and clearly understand one's responsibility against the background of the situation in which we live," he reiterated.