Russians search for BBC, outside news outlets amid Putin crackdown

A growing number of citizens inside Russia are turning to independent news reports rather than state-sponsored propaganda for information about the invasion.

The trend comes as Russian officials are working to suppress and distort the work of independent journalists within its own borders and on the ground in Ukraine as they attempt to skew the facts behind the assault and further justify an attack on their neighbor to the West.

Recent figures tallied by the BBC, one Europe’s largest news providers, show traffic coming from inside Russia for content about the invasion has spiked dramatically, a sign the Russian people are looking for alternatives to the state-sponsored programming pumped out by Putin and his allies.