The European Union said on Friday it suspended the right to operate for four Russian-linked media outlets in the European bloc. The decision was taken despite a warning from Moscow that any such action would trigger a swift response.
The banned media outlets are the Voice of Europe, the RIA Novosti news agency and the Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspapers, on the grounds that they “have played an essential role in supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” the Council said. European in a statement.
The decision is part of the planned 14th round of sanctions against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine, which began in 2022. The European bloc has previously sanctioned other Russian state media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik.
The EU had warned of the move earlier this week, prompting Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to warn: “We will respond with lightning speed and with extremely serious consequences for Westerners.” It was not clear how Moscow would respond.
In an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, the head of the international department of the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) called the EU’s ban “illegal” and said the case should have been decided by a court.
Timur Shafir said the ban would prevent Russian speakers living in parts of Europe once under the control of the Soviet Union from accessing what he called “alternative information” on world events.
