In retaliation for sanctions against the Kremlin for spreading false information in Europe, Russia prohibited the broadcast and access from its territory via the Internet to 81 important European media outlets, including several from France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Moscow’s measure replicates the restrictions adopted on May 17 by the Council of the European Union against three Russian media outlets – the RIA Nóvosti Agency and the newspapers Izvestia and Rossískaya Gazeta – in force since yesterday.
As reported in a note on the media of 25 sanctioned countries of the European Union (EU), the Kremlin said that “measures are being introduced response for emission limitation and access to its Internet resources from the territory of Russia.
The statement highlights that the restrictions are adopted against media that “they systematically disseminate unreliable information about the progress of the special military operation”as the illegal invasion and military campaign deployed in Ukraine since February 2022 is known in Russia.
The list published on its website by the Russian Foreign Ministry of blocked or prohibited media includes the Spanish news agency EFE, the newspapers El País and El Mundo and Televisión Española. Among the 81 media affected are also newspapers such as the German newspaper Die Zeit and the magazine Der Spiegel; the Italians La Stampa and La Repubblica; the Portuguese Publico; the French Le Monde and Liberation; or the Dutch magazine Algemeen Dagblad.
It also includes television channels such as the Italian RAI; the French LC1 and Arte; the Irish RTE; the Portuguese RTP Internacional; the Dutch Nos or the Austrian ORF; in addition to the Radio France station. In addition to EFE, the agencies whose access in Russia will be restricted are the Agence France-Press and Agence Europe.
Response to Brussels
The Foreign Ministry emphasizes that it had repeatedly warned that “politically motivated harassment” of Russian journalists and the “unfounded” ban on Russian media in the territory of the European Union “would not remain unanswered”. Moscow emphasizes that, since Brussels chose to choose the path of “escalation”, it thus forced the Russian authorities to adopt “symmetrical and proportionate measures”.
“The responsibility for such development of events lies exclusively with the leaders of the EU and the countries that support said bloc,” he noted.
In mid-May, the Foreign Affairs spokesperson, María Zajárova, warned that her country was going to take measures to retaliation against Western correspondents on its territory if the European Union restricted the work of the Russian media. “Until now they felt our love, now they will also have to feel our retaliation,” she said at a press conference.
He recalled that Moscow “will respond suddenly and in an extremely painful way for Westerners.”
“If even one Russian media outlet is subject to unfounded restrictions, it will rebound on its colleagues here in Russia. “I am referring to Western journalists,” said the foreign ministry spokesperson.
Since the beginning of the war, Russia has restricted the access of foreign journalists to activities organized by the Russian State and in some cases did not extend the work visa for some Western correspondents based in the Federation.
The blocking and prohibition through the Internet against the 81 European media is a reply to a decision of the European Council adopted in mid-May, when the Brussels authorities announced the ban of four media outlets accused of spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda and “destabilizing” Ukraine’s neighboring countries.
The four blacklisted media outlets – Voice of Europe, RIA Nóvosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta – are “under the permanent, direct or indirect control” of Russia and have been “decisive” in fostering support for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, said that EU body that brings together the top political leaders of the 27 members of the bloc.
