(MOSCOW) – Russia is expanding its system of censorship beyond restricting speech to targeting the consumption of information, in what analysts describe as a significant escalation driven by growing fear within the Kremlin. Observers say governments impose strict information controls when they fear both the truth and their own population. In Russia’s case, this fear appears to be intensifying as the war in Ukraine continues to strain resources and expose weaknesses in the economy. The latest measures include blocking or throttling major platforms such as YouTube and Telegram, making them largely inaccessible without virtual private networks, or VPNs. At the…