(USNewsBreak.com) – US intelligence agencies have long considered Russia at least a partially authoritarian country. Reports have indicated that President Vladimir Putin and his regime don’t allow dissent. They allegedly impose harsh penalties for those who dare speak out about the government. In recent years, many believe the country has made moves toward totalitarianism. Now, with the recent tensions between Russia and most of the Western world at a high point, the country has decided to restrict access to more than 80 media outlets.
EU Sanctions Russia Media
US national intelligence operatives say Russia has spread propaganda to swing favor in its direction on more than one occasion. It has allegedly spread misinformation for years and often deploys bots on social media to help spread the lies.
As a result of this, the European Union (EU) issued sanctions against Voice of Europe and two Russians, Viktor Medvedchuk and Artyom Marchevsky, in May. The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Medvedvhuk of using the platform “to undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine” and Marchevsky of being “directly involved in the operation” until sanctions came down.
In May, the EU also banned three media outlets from broadcasting in Europe, including Rossiyskaya Gazeta, RIA Novosti, and Izvestia MIC.
Russia Retaliates
On Tuesday, June 25, Russia’s foreign ministry announced it was limiting access to 81 media outlets in response to the EU’s actions on May 17. According to a statement, Russia said it had given repeated warnings “at various levels that politically-motivated persecution of Russian journalists and unjustified bans on Russian media outlets [would] not go unanswered.”
It decided to restrict several outlets from the majority of EU countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Poland, Finland, and France, to name a few. All of the publications were listed in the announcement and separated by country.
The list included newspapers and media outlets, including internet TV channels, among those banned. Global publications included POLITICO, Agence Europe, and France’s Le Monde.
This action didn’t mark the first time Russia has retaliated against media outlets in a tit-for-tat measure. Back in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU banned RT, a state-backed news channel, from reporting in Europe. Then Russia issued its own ban against some Western websites, accusing them of spreading “false information,” particularly centered on the country’s mission in Ukraine.
The United States has accused Russia of fearing its citizens will learn what is occurring in Ukraine and the rest of the world.
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