The European Union condemns Russia in blocking European media, having previously taken a similar step by blocking a number of Russian media.
The Russian government has announced that it will block access to 81 media outlets from EU member states in the country. Among the German publications affected are ZEIT, Der Spiegel and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it was a “retaliatory measure.” The blocking was a “countermeasure” taken to prevent access from Russian territory to media outlets “from EU member states.” The ministry published a list of portals hit by the sanctions and accused the EU of imposing the restrictions.
Thus, the ban applies to various print publications from 25 EU countries. Among them are El Mundo and El País from Spain, La Stampa, La Repubblica and RAI from Italy, as well as the French Le Monde, Libération, Radio France and the AFP news agency.
The EU considers Russia’s retaliatory action in banning the broadcasting of Western media as unjustified censorship. Hungary was the only EU country that blocked a joint statement by all countries of the community condemning Russia’s retaliatory measures against European media.
According to Brussels, Moscow’s decision to restrict access to a number of foreign publications and TV channels is “completely unjustified” and constitutes “censorship.” At the same time, EU representatives emphasised that the blocked media outlets allegedly adhere to “journalistic standards” in their work. The statement emphasised that in this way Brussels allegedly “fights disinformation and propaganda.”
Nevertheless, the EU admitted that it was the first to start banning access to Russian information resources.
