politics
March 25, 2026
80 Years of BBC Russian: Still Here, Still Growing, Still Fighting Censorship
At the height of Soviet jamming of the BBC in the 1970s, the most sought-after shortwave transistors in the Soviet Union were made by the VEF factory in Latvia, then part of the USSR.
TL;DR
- BBC Russian has been a vital source of uncensored news, literature, and music for Russians for 80 years, adapting to changing censorship methods.
- During the 1970s, Soviet jamming of BBC broadcasts required listeners to use VEF radios to find the signal, which provided access to Western culture.
- Following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the informative space in Russia has narrowed, and BBC Russian's Moscow bureau relocated to Latvia.
- The service now faces challenges with blocked websites and social media platforms in Russia, with VPNs becoming essential for access, similar to how shortwave radios were once used.
- The BBC Russian team has had to rebuild their lives and reporting methods in exile, facing personal sacrifices and being declared "foreign agents" by Russian authorities.
- The current digital censorship in Russia is compared to the "Iron Curtain" that descended upon Eastern Europe decades ago.
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