Moscow, June 25, 2024 (Lusa) - 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 announced on Tuesday.
According to the ministry, the measure is intended to retaliate against the European Union's (EU) decision to ban "any broadcasting activity" by Russian media outlets RIA Novosti, Izvestia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and Voice of Europe, which comes into force today.
The restrictions cover EU media outlets "that systematically disseminate false information about the course" of the special military operation in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement posted on the Internet.
Russia calls the invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2022, a special military operation to "demilitarise and denazify" the neighbouring country.
Since the start of the war, the EU has banned Russian channels such as RT from broadcasting in Europe on the grounds that they were spreading Moscow propaganda and disinformation.
The Russian media "have been instrumental in presenting and supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and destabilising its neighbouring countries," according to the EU.
The new restrictions were approved by the European Council on 17 May and merited the retaliatory measures now announced by Moscow's diplomacy.
In addition to Portugal, media from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden are also targeted.
France is the most targeted country, with nine media organisations, including AFP, TF1, Le Monde, Libèration and L'Express.
The Spanish news agency EFE, RTVE, and the newspapers El Mundo and El Pais were also targeted.
Germany is on the list with Der Spiegel, Die Zeit and Frankfurter Allgemeine.
"The Russian side has repeatedly warned at various levels that politically motivated harassment of national journalists and unfounded bans on Russian media in the EU will not go unnoticed," said Moscow's diplomatic service.
Serguei Lavrov's ministry said that despite the warnings, "Brussels and the capitals of the bloc's countries chose to follow the path of escalation, forcing Moscow to take mirrored and proportionate countermeasures with another illegitimate ban."
Russian diplomacy blamed the EU and the countries concerned for the "developments".
"If the restrictions imposed on Russian media are lifted, the Russian side will also reconsider its decision regarding the media operators mentioned," it added.
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