Vladimir Putin
Vladimir PutinReuters

Russia blocked access to over a dozen news sites, including two Israeli sites, Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor announced Wednesday.

Channel 9 and Vesty were blocked, both of which are Israeli-owned Russian-language news sites. Vesty is owned by the Yedioth Ahatonot news company.

The award-winning investigative news site Bellingcat was also blocked.

The move is the latest in a series of crackdown measures on free speech in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago.

On March 5, Roskomnadzor announced that Facebook was blocked n Russia due to prerceived anti-Russian bias.

On March 14, Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova was arrested after protesting the war on television.