Putin's minion Dmitriev is lecturing Europe on free speech

From the Dialog, Dec 7, 2025:

"Putin's special envoy Dmitriev embarrasses himself while attempting to make a statement about Europe

Putin's special envoy Dmitriev accuses the EU of censorship. Social media users reminded him that approximately 100,000 different resources, including the world's most popular social networks, are currently blocked in Russia. 

Putin's special representative, Kirill Dmitriev, harshly criticized the EU, calling European bureaucrats "enemies of freedom of speech." However, the result was a comical gaffe.  

He did so on the social network X, which is officially blocked in Russia, and, according to his account data, using a French VPN. There's no other way to access a social network banned in Russia. Social media platforms are laughing en masse at the Kremlin's attempts to criticize Europe, making it so absurd and comical.

Russia itself is drowning in censorship

Moreover, within Russia, widespread and active blocking of everything from video calls to children's platforms continues. Total censorship has been in place on television for over 20 years. Opposition channels have been shut down or expelled from the country. But this doesn't stop Kremlin special envoy Kirill Dmitriev from discussing "freedom of speech" in Europe. His accusations highlight the Russian practice of total censorship, with specific examples. 

Blocked or restricted in the country

Facebook 

Instagram 

YouTube 

FaceTime 

Signal 

Snapchat 

LinkedIn 

Roblox 

Discord 

WhatsApp (calls) 

Telegram (calls)

Over 100,000 other resources, including educational websites, news platforms, and communication services, are also down. Meanwhile, Dmitriev continues to publicly lecture Europe about "censorship," ignoring the fact that Russians can't even use half the services he himself accesses via a foreign VPN.  

The contrast between his statements and Russian reality is so stark that it's sparking a furious reaction on social media. Users are noting that the man representing a state that built one of the world's largest digital blocking systems is now trying to lecture the West on freedom of speech."