"No one wants to block anyone, but measures aimed at forcing companies to comply with our laws are absolutely sound," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked to comment on the restrictions.
Earlier in the day, the Roskomnadzor watchdog announced it was slowing down Twitter traffic speed because the social network had proved itself incapable of removing illegal content. The slowdown is set to be implemented on all mobile devices and 50 percent of stationary devices. The watchdog warned that Twitter may be blocked if it does not act in compliance with the law.
Kremlin Website Operates Normally Despite Reports About Failures
Reporters also asked Peskov about some problems which have reportedly been experienced by the websites of various government agencies.
"We have seen reports. Frankly speaking, this has not happened in our case ... Everything is working," Peskov said at the briefing.
The Kremlin spokesman did not rule out possible failures.
"I think the Ministry of Digital Development will provide some explanation," Peskov said, asked about the reason behind the possible failures.
Earlier in January, Roskomnadzor announced it would fine six social media platforms — TikTok, VKontakte, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube — for allowing publication of messages encouraging minors to participate in unauthorised mass events.