Russia blocks European broadcaster Euronews over 'misinformation'

Russia's media regulator says it has blocked the pages of the European television channel Euronews.

The Tass news agency reported that the reason for the ban was Euronews' "misinformation" about Moscow's so-called "special operation" in Ukraine, the official term given to Russia's invasion of its western neighbour.

The decision by the Prosecutor General's Office also affects the Russian-language offering of the channel, the Roskomnadzor media authority announced on Monday.

Moscow had introduced a new media law in early March that imposes drastic penalties for what it sees as misinformation about Russian forces.

The Euronews ban comes after Moscow blocked Facebook and Instagram earlier on Monday following a Russian court decision declaring them "extremist" organizations.

The two services are already blocked in Russia; the messenger service WhatsApp, which also belongs to the US group Meta, is not affected by the ruling, according to the court.

The background to the move is a decision by Meta not to remove calls for violence against Russian troops in Ukraine. Twitter is also currently blocked in Russia.