Russia announced on Tuesday that it was blocking access to 81 European media outlets in its territory, in “retaliation” for the EU’s decision in May to ban four Russian state media outlets.
“Countermeasures are being introduced on access from Russian territory to the broadcasting facilities of media outlets of EU member states,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, publishing a list of outlets and blaming Brussels for the restrictions.
The blocked Belgian media outlets are Knack and Le Vif.
The list published by the Russian ministry on Tuesday also includes the German media outlets Der Spiegel, the Spanish El Mundo and El Pais, the Italian television RAI, and other French media outlets such as the dailies Le Monde, Libération and the channels LCI and CNews.
4 Russian media outlets sanctioned in mid-May
The Twenty-Seven had agreed in mid-May to sanction four Russian media outlets – Voice of Europe, Ria Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta -, accused by Brussels of broadcasting pro-Kremlin propaganda.
The sanctions taken by the EU must also include a “ban on Russian financing of EU media, NGOs and political parties”, the European Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova, had specified at the time.
Moscow had subsequently threatened the European Union with reprisals, with which relations are execrable in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, had then promised “very painful” measures.
For its part, the European Union has banned the broadcasting in Europe of several Russian or pro-Russian media outlets, including Russia Today, for more than two years, accusing Moscow of using these media to “spread its propaganda and conduct disinformation campaigns”.
This article is originally published on msn.com
