"Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we are blocking Youtube channels connected to RT and Sputnik with immediate effect," it said in a statement from Google Europe.

Access to the canals is restricted throughout Europe.

A hard blow for RT whose largest account on Youtube has almost five million subscribers.

Kremlin "media machine"

The decision comes just days after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that RT and Sputnik will be banned in the EU and the UK.

Von der Leyen describes these as part of the Kremlin's "media machine".

Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta have also decided to restrict access to RT and Sputnik after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Meta, RT and Sputnik will no longer be visible on Facebook and Instagram within the EU.

Twitter warns

The social media giant Twitter does not go as far, but announced on Monday that it will label material that links to state-controlled Russian media with a warning.

In addition, their ability to spread across the platform will be reduced.