YouTube removes more than 9,000 channels related to Ukraine war

The company has also placed a worldwide ban on channels associated with Russian media organisations such as Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik.

YouTube is a popular video streaming website in Russia with an estimated 90 million users. The platform has continued its services in the region even when other tech companies and platforms stopped their services after the invasion in Ukraine.

The Guardian reports that the platform has been removing pro-Kremlin content on their site especially for violating their content policy. 

Neal Mohan, YouTube’s chief product officer said, “We have a major violent events policy and that applies to things like denial of major violent events: everything from the Holocaust to Sandy Hook. And of course, what’s happening in Ukraine is a major violent event. And so we’ve used that policy to take unprecedented action.”

In an interview with the publication, he also added that content focusing on the Ukraine-Russia conflict received more than 40 million views in Ukraine alone. While discussing YouTube’s crackdown on such content he said, “The first and probably most paramount responsibility is making sure that people who are looking for information about this event can get accurate, high-quality, credible information on YouTube. The consumption of authoritative channels on our platform has grown significantly, of course in Ukraine, but also in countries surrounding Ukraine, Poland, and also within Russia itself.”

Mohan talks about the popularity of YouTube in Russia as the largest video-sharing site, serving as “a place where Russian citizens can get uncensored information about the war, including from many of the same authoritative channels that we all have access to outside of the country. We remain an important platform for Russian citizens themselves as this crisis continues to evolve.”

Last week, Maksut Shadaev, Russian minister for digital development failed to block YouTube despite disputes over content and a fine on the company for not removing banned videos. However, in a statement he has indicated that he will not ban YouTube knowing it will affect users.