Russia's Crackdown on Internet News Amid Rebellion Rumors and Anti-Kremlin Messages

Russian authorities blocked access to major news sources and information from the Wagner mercenary group as it pushed toward Moscow on Saturday, adding to the confusion as rumors and misinformation about events flourished. Google News was blocked beginning Friday night by Rostelecom, Russia's largest digital provider, and at least four other major internet service providers, according to the nonprofit group NetBlocks, which monitors internet censorship. Telegram, the messaging, news and social networking platform that is widely popular in Russia, had significant outages in cities including Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as points en route to the capital from the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, which Wagner troops controlled.