Moscow is making another push at the United Nations to internationalize the fight against “fake news,” arguing that independent efforts have proved insufficient and allowed Western countries to disguise their “totalitarian” crackdown on “dissent” and “unwanted media outlets” as part of a democratic and humanitarian campaign.

According to Maxim Buyakevich, who heads the Russian Foreign Ministry’s international information desk, the UN should take charge of the fight against fake news, to protect “such fundamental principles of international law as equal access to information for all and freedom of expression.”