Photo: wikipedia.org
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sees the expulsion from Ukraine of Russian journalist Margarita Bondar, who works for Ukraine.ru news website, as the violation of rights and the suppression of freedom of speech. Russia’s MFA called the expulsion one of the many repressive measures taken by the authorities of Ukraine against Russian journalists and media. Diplomats called on the international community and relevant organizations to respond accordingly, the Foreign Ministry website reports.
Bondar was accused of allegedly a “biased coverage of the socio-political situation” before her expulsion from the country. Russian MFA called this claim unfounded. The accusations against other Russian journalists who were deported from Ukraine in recent years were of the same nature - according to the Foreign Ministry, only in 2018 eight Russian journalists were expelled from Ukraine or received a ban on entry into the country.
Listing the numerous cases of the expulsion of journalists and the banning of dozens of Russian media in Ukraine, the diplomats state that "the Kiev regime continues to completely ignore the current international legal and political obligations of Ukraine to ensure freedom of expression." The concern of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia is caused by the fact that the situation with the persecution of journalists is getting worse every year.
Russian diplomats called on international (OSCE and others) and non-governmental organizations, as well as the journalistic community to continue to exert pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to end arbitrariness. The Foreign Ministry also notes that the Western countries keep silent about the flagrant facts of violation of freedom of speech in Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry mentioned that foreign journalists, in particular, from Austria and Italy, also suffered from the repressive measures of Ukraine.
Earlier the Ukrainian authorities did not allow to enter the country Italian journalist Mark Innaro. He works for the Italian state television channel RAI and lives in Moscow. Kiev explained the decision by saying that the media representative "did not sufficiently explain the aim of his visit."
Russkiy Mir
