Russia will ban internet access in the country to 81 European media outlets, including Portugal’s RTP Internacional, Público, Expresso and Observador, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The measure is in response to the European Union’s (EU) decision to ban “all broadcast activities” for Russian media outlets RIA Novosti, Izvestia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Voice of Europe, which comes into force today. according to the ministry.
The restrictions apply to EU media “which systematically disseminate false information about the progress” of the special military operation in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement published online.
Russia calls the invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine, ongoing since February 2022, a special military operation to “demilitarize and denazify” the neighboring country.
Since the start of the war, the EU has banned Russian channels such as RT from broadcasting in Europe, deeming them to be spreading Moscow-based propaganda and disinformation.
According to the EU, Russian media “played a significant and important role in covering and supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the destabilization of neighboring countries.”
The new restrictions were approved by the European Council on May 17 and merited countermeasures now announced by Moscow diplomacy.
In addition to Portugal, the target of the attack is media from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and the Netherlands. , Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Sweden.
France is the most targeted country, with nine media outlets including AFP, TF1, Le Monde, Libèration and L’Express.
The Spanish agency EFE was also among the victims, as well as RTVE and the newspapers El Mundo and El Pais.
Germany appears on the list along with Der Spiegel, Die Zeit and Frankfurter Allgemeine.
“The Russian side has repeatedly and at different levels warned that politically motivated persecution of domestic journalists and unfounded bans on Russian media in the EU will not go unnoticed,” Moscow diplomacy said.
Sergei Lavrov’s department said that, despite the warnings, “Brussels and the capitals of the bloc countries chose to take the path of escalation, forcing Moscow to take mirror and proportional countermeasures with the help of another illegitimate ban.”
Russian diplomacy placed responsibility for the “development of events” on the EU and the countries concerned.
“If the restrictions imposed on Russian media are lifted, the Russian side will also reconsider its decision regarding the above-mentioned media,” he added.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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