Germany denies shutting Russian TV bureau

“The Russian claims are false, the federal government has not closed the office of this broadcaster,” said foreign ministry spokesman Christian Wagner.

Commenting on reports Moscow would expel two German journalists in retaliation for the alleged closure, he said that Germany would reject such a move “in the strongest possible terms”.

Russian state-controlled media outlets have faced restrictions in the West including broadcast bans since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive, as Western regulators accuse them of spreading disinformation.

Russian state broadcaster Channel One’s correspondent Ivan Blagoi said on air that he and cameraman Dmitry Volkov were notified on Tuesday that they “must leave German territory in the first half of December”.

Russia said on Wednesday it was expelling two correspondents from German public broadcaster ARD in retaliation.

In Berlin, Wagner said about the two Russian journalists that “I can only assume that this is related to questions of residence rights”, which were a matter for regional, not national, authorities.

“Russian journalists can report freely and unhindered in Germany,” he added, stressing that many Russian journalists are accredited in the country.

He said that the Russian broadcaster “has been subject to EU sanctions since December 2022” — but that while this banned it from broadcasting in Europe, it did not impose any reporting restrictions.

AFP