A reporter based in Moscow said on Sunday that police in Moscow seem to be stopping civilians and demanding to see their phones in order to screen their photos and text messages.
In a Telegram post, reporter Anya Vasileva said that police officers near the popular Russian toy store in Lubyanka Square were stopping people and ordering them to show their phones. The police would not allow people to pass if they refused to let them look at their phone.
I came up and asked them what they were doing. The police checked my press card and didn't say anything. It is against the law for the police to order you to show them your phone.
In a video posted by Vasileva, police appeared to have stopped several people and were looking at their phones. According to the Library of Congress, Russian authorities are able to access communications on a citizen's phone, computer, and tablets without a warrant.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law that will make anyone who shares false information about the war in Ukraine face up to 15 years in prison. The law would punish those who support sanctions against Russia and those who call for Putin to end the attack in Ukraine, according to the Russian media outlet.
Russia began to block or limit access to Western technology platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, cutting itself and its citizens off from the rest of the world's internet.
On Sunday marks the eleventh day of Russia's assault on Ukraine, which has prompted protests in Russian cities and around the world.
Ukrainian officials and human rights groups have accused Russia of war crimes.
The Secretary of State said on Sunday that the United States has seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians by Russian forces, which he said would constitute a war crime.
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