Censorship in Russia
Censorship is controlled by the Government of Russia and by civil society in the Russian Federation, applying to the content and the diffusion of information, printed documents, music, works of art, cinema and photography, radio and television, web sites and portals, and in some cases private correspondence, with the aim of limiting or preventing the dissemination of ideas and information that the Russian state or public opinion consider to be a danger. Russian Federation legislation on the mass media defines censorship as a "requirement, vis-à-vis media editors, officials, state bodies, organizations, institutions or public associations, to coordinate, prior to their distribution, the messages and documents to be broadcast as well as the obligation to prohibit, where appropriate, their broadcast in whole or in part".