The Belarusian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in connection with the blocking of BelTA, ONT and STV channels on YouTube and promised to respond “appropriately”.
The ministry described the state media as the “foundation of Belarus’ information sovereignty” and accused YouTube of violating international law.
“On April 3, 2026, YouTube administration arbitrarily removed the channels of Belarus’ largest national media outlets — BelTA, ONT and STV. These media are the foundation of the country’s information sovereignty and have audiences of millions both inside Belarus and abroad.
By its decision, YouTube effectively blocked access for millions of citizens and compatriots abroad to legitimate, official content. This is a gross violation of Article 19 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the basic OSCE principles on media freedom,” the statement said.
Belarus is studying the situation and reserves the right to respond “using all available means”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Varankou said.
“Particularly striking is the deafening silence of international organisations. Those that traditionally react quickly and loudly to any, even the most questionable, cases of ‘restrictions on freedom of speech’ in countries they dislike are this time demonstratively silent. This is a classic example of Western double standards: human rights matter only when it concerns opinions convenient for the West.
The Belarusian side is thoroughly studying all the circumstances of what happened. We reserve the right to respond appropriately — using all available means within the framework of national legislation and international law,” the ministry said.
On April 3, the channels of Belarusian state media outlets BelTA, ONT and STV were removed from YouTube. Belteleradiocompany warned that YouTube could be designated as extremist and fully blocked in Belarus. The Information Ministry of Belarus said it reserved the right to take retaliatory measures.
