Russia is planning to ban 81 EU-based media outlets, accusing them of “systematically disseminat[ing] false information about the progress of the special military operation [Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine].”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced the move on June 25th, in retaliation against “politically motivated harassment of domestic journalists and unfounded bans on Russian media in the EU” which, it “repeatedly and at various levels” warned, would “not go unanswered.”
The decision comes in response to an EU Council decision on May 17th to ban “all broadcast activity” of three Russian media outlets (RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta). The ban came into force on June 25th.
“If restrictions on Russian media are lifted, the Russian side will also reconsider its decision in relation to the mentioned media operators,” Russia said.
The ban covers national broadcasters and news agencies in Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
Several of Europe’s best-known newspapers are affected, including Berlingske in Denmark, France’s Le Monde and Liberation, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Der Spiegel, and Die Zeit, the Irish Times, La Repubblica in Italy, NRC in the Netherlands, and Spain’s El País.
Four EU-focused media outlets, including Agence Europe, EUobserver, Politico in Brussels, and the Prague-based RFE/RL were also among those targeted.
The Russian ministry also applied restrictions to the George Soros-linked leftist Hungarian media outlet 444.hu.
In previous rounds of sanctions, the EU also blocked Russian outlets Katehon, Pervyi Kanal, REN TV, Rossiya 1, Rossiya 24, Spas TV, Sputnik, Russia Today, and Tsargrad TV.
Commenting on the Russian media ban, EU values commissioner Věra Jourová said on X: “It’s a nonsense retaliation.”
“No, propaganda outlets funded by Russia to spread disinformation as part of Russia’s military doctrine are not the same as independent media. Democracies know that,” she said.
Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the “unjustified measure” taken against some of its media, which “have always provided objective and impartial information on the conflict in Ukraine.” It therefore condemned the decision, saying that “it will not erase the effects of a violent, devastating and illegal war.”
The U.S. State Department said that the move was “another sign of the Russian government cracking down on journalism because they’re afraid of their own people hearing the truth about Russia’s actions.”
Whatever one’s opinion on what does and does not constitute untruthful propaganda, this latest escalation—in what for some time has been an all-out information war—will widen the gulf between Russia and the Western peoples.
