The Russian government has officially blocked 1,200 websites since 2014, the Interfax news agency reported Friday.
Russia's Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said that almost 20,000 sites had been forced to delete “prohibited information” during a special message to commemorate the 295th anniversary of the Russian Prosecution Service.
Chaika said that the blocks stopped terrorist groups reaching out to young people. But prosecutors have clamped down on a range of online material in recent months.
High profile targets include social network LinkedIn, which was closed in a dispute over data storage, and adult film website Pornhub.
In his message, the prosecutor general also praised the agency, describing it as vital to the state.
“The fate of the Russian people and the development of the country relies on the Prosecution Service carrying out its work and adapting to sometimes rapidly changing socio-economic reality,” he said in an online message.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also took part in a special ceremony to commemorate the service's anniversary on Wednesday.
