This Wednesday, Austria summoned the Russian ambassador to the Alpine country to protest against Moscow’s “unprecedented” decision to revoke the accreditation of a member of public television in response to the expulsion of a Russian journalist from Vienna.
Carola Schneider, a correspondent for the ORF channel for more than ten years, was ordered to leave Russia, reports Public Television, which was left without a journalist there after a recent similar sanction against another employee.
Austrian diplomacy considered this an “unjustified and unacceptable measure.”
“This is a new arbitrary, groundless attack on the free press in Russia,” the Foreign Ministry emphasized in a statement, which also announced that the person responsible for diplomacy had been summoned to the embassy.
Moscow took a “retaliatory measure” after the head of the Vienna bureau of the state news agency TASS, Arina Davidyan, was forced to leave Austria, according to a statement by Russian authorities.
His residence permit was not renewed and his accreditation was revoked “under flimsy pretexts,” Russian authorities said.
Vienna cited “security risks” to the country to justify its expulsion and the expulsion of a second TASS journalist.
Since the Russian offensive in Ukraine began, independent media critical of the Kremlin have faced lawsuits or been banned in Russia.
Some closed and their members moved abroad.
Western journalists have also been targeted by Russian justice or forced to leave the country, and several European media outlets will be banned from broadcasting in Russia.
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 came into force on Tuesday. , according to the ministry.
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.
Austria, very committed to its neutrality, maintained good relations with Vladimir Putin, but, faced with war, the government supported the Kyiv cause and relations with the Kremlin deteriorated significantly.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

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