Russia has imposed restrictions on over 80 European Union (EU) media outlets operating within its borders for allegedly spreading disinformation about the Ukraine conflict. The move by the Russian Foreign Ministry comes as a response to the EU’s recent ban on several Russian news agencies, including RIA Novosti and newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, in May. This crackdown was part of the EU’s efforts to counteract alleged Russian propaganda and disinformation surrounding the conflict in Ukraine.
The European Council imposed these restrictions on Russian media in May, leading to a ban on four major news agencies from reporting within the EU. The affected agencies included some prominent names like RIA Novosti, as well as newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Additionally, the Czech-based portal Voice of Europe was also barred from operating within the bloc due to its alleged connections with Kremlin-linked propaganda networks. These restrictions came into effect on June 25th.
Prior to this, Brussels had already imposed bans and suspended licences for several Russia-linked media outlets due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. For instance, RT and Sputnik’s broadcasting licenses were revoked, and their websites blocked across the EU. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its disapproval of these measures, accusing Brussels of politically motivated harassment against Russian journalists and undermining the principles of free speech.
In a statement released on the ministry’s website, it was noted that Brussels and other EU capitals had chosen to escalate tensions with their latest ban despite warnings from Moscow. As a result, Russia has been forced to take mirror countermeasures in response to these restrictions. The responsibility for this situation is placed solely at the feet of the European Union’s leadership and the member countries that supported such a decision, according to the ministry.
The list of EU media outlets affected by these new restrictions includes 81 organizations from 25 different member states. These include major publications like Germany’s Der Spiegel, Spain’s El Pais, Italy’s La Stampa and La Repubblica newspapers, France’s Agence France-Presse, Le Monde, Liberation, as well as the pan-European Politico and EUobserver.
Russia has stated that it may reconsider its decision regarding these media outlets if the restrictions placed on Russian media are lifted. However, it accuses Brussels of duplicity and attacking freedom of speech with its measures to limit the operations of Russian news organizations. The campaign to undermine the work of Russian news agencies predates the current conflict in Ukraine and is aimed at preventing European citizens from accessing opinions that their governments deem undesirable, according to Russian officials.