Editing Voice of America (section)

=== Russia ===
In January 2016, upon his arrival in Moscow, Russian authorities detained and then deported [[Jeff Shell]], the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that oversees the Voice of America, despite his having a valid Russian visa.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |date=July 14, 2016 |title=Russia detains, deports U.S. Voice of America official &#124; Arkansas Democrat Gazette |url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/jul/14/russia-detains-deports-us-voice-america-official/ |website=www.arkansasonline.com}}</ref> Russian authorities did not explain their actions.<ref name="auto1" />

Round-the-clock broadcasting of Current Time began on February 7, 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Current Time TV Channel Новости, видео и репортажи из России, Украины, стран Азии – Настоящее Время |url=https://www.currenttime.tv/p/6018.html |access-date=2020-03-28 |website=Настоящее Время |language=ky |ref={{sfnref | Настоящее Время}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Current Time TV |url=https://www.voanews.com/author/current-time-tv-rfe-rl-voa/kv-yo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328090933/https://www.voanews.com/author/current-time-tv |archive-date=2020-03-28 |website=Voice of America}}</ref><ref name="usagm.gov2">{{cite web |date=2019-02-12 |title=Current Time celebrates two years of impact and growth |url=https://www.usagm.gov/2019/02/12/current-time-celebrates-two-years-of-impact-and-growth/ |access-date=2020-03-28 |website=USAGM |ref={{sfnref | USAGM | 2019}}}}</ref>

In December 2017, under a new directive from Russia's [[Kremlin]] after a new law was passed by the [[State Duma]] (Russia's lower house of parliament) and the upper house [[Federation Council]] and signed by Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], Voice of America was deemed a "foreign agent" under the [[Russian foreign agent law]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russia labels VOA and RFE as 'foreign agents' – DW – 12/06/2017 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/russia-labels-voice-of-america-and-radio-free-europe-as-foreign-agents/a-41651707 |website=dw.com}}</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/05/568502826/russia-slaps-restrictions-on-voice-of-america-and-radio-free-europe "Russia Slaps Restrictions On 'Voice Of America' And 'Radio Free Europe'"]</ref> In June 2021, the Russian news agency [[TASS]] reported that Russia's state communications watchdog ''[[Roskomnadzor]]'' complained that the foreign agent Voice of America radio station challengingly refused to observe Russian law because it had not established a Russian legal entity.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |title=Voice of America, Radio Liberty ignore Russian laws — watchdog |url=https://tass.com/society/1301669 |website=TASS}}</ref> ''Roskomnadzor'' also said that VOA was as a foreign agent "obliged to mark their content and provide information about all aspects of their activity, including a detailed description of contacts with the authorities."<ref name="auto2" />

In March 2022, VOA and other news broadcasters, including the [[BBC]], [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]], and [[Deutsche Welle]] were blocked in Russia,<ref name="Reuters March 2022">{{cite news |date=March 4, 2022 |title=Russia blocks access to BBC and Voice of America websites |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/russia-restricts-access-bbc-russian-service-radio-liberty-ria-2022-03-04/ |access-date=22 February 2024 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> as after the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]] in February 2022, Russian authorities increased censorship of independent journalism, anti-war protests, and dissenting voices.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Troianovski |first1=Anton |last2=Safronova |first2=Valeriya |date=4 March 2022 |title=Russia Takes Censorship to New Extremes, Stifling War Coverage |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/world/europe/russia-censorship-media-crackdown.html |access-date=22 February 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 10, 2022 |title=Russia: Kremlin's ruthless crackdown stifles independent journalism and anti-war movement |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/03/russia-kremlins-ruthless-crackdown-stifles-independent-journalism-and-anti-war-movement/ |website=Amnesty International}}</ref><ref name="NYT Mar 7 2022">{{cite news |last1=Satariano |first1=Adam |last2=Hopkins |first2=Valerie |date=7 March 2022 |title=Russia, Blocked From the Global Internet, Plunges Into Digital Isolation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/technology/russia-ukraine-internet-isolation.html |access-date=22 February 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Klar |first=Rebecca |date=March 8, 2022 |title=Grassroots effort uses shortwave radio to broadcast VOA in Ukraine, Russia |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/597411-grassroots-effort-uses-shortwave-radio-to-broadcast-voa-in-ukraine-russia/}}</ref> Nevertheless, many Russians have used [[VPN]]s and other software to get around Russian government blocks.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McGil |first1=Margaret Harding |date=March 12, 2022 |title=How Russians are evading the internet blockade |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/03/09/vpns-evading-russias-internet-blockade |access-date=22 February 2024 |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bicknell |first=John |date=June 21, 2022 |title=Radio to Russia: Can Old Technologies Make a Dent in Putin's Information Blockade? |url=https://information-professionals.org/radio-to-russia-can-old-technologies-make-a-dent-in-putins-information-blockade/ |website=Information Professionals Association}}</ref> As of March 2022, VOA broadcasts were reaching people in Russia and the region through TV, FM and medium wave radio, digital, and direct-to-home satellite.<ref name="auto" /> In May 2023, Russia banned then-acting VOA chief Yolanda Lopez from ever entering the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=May 19, 2023 |title=Russia Bans Late Night Hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers From Entering the Country |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/russia-bans-jimmy-kimmel-stephen-colbert-seth-meyers-rachel-maddow-1235496448/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>