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Russia's envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich called on OSCE to influence the Estonian authorities in the issue with the Sputnik news agency, RIA Novosti reports. He addressed OSCE Media Representative Harlem Desir with a request to examine the discriminatory policy against journalists.
As Lukashevich noted, the lack of reaction to the situation in Brussels and the silence of the EU’s relevant structures are puzzling. The Sputnik editorial office in Estonia has not been working since January 1, 35 employees have lost their jobs, 33 of them are Estonian citizens. Meanwhile, EU sanctions against Dmitry Kiselyov, to which Tallinn refers, concern only his personal finances. Alexander Lukashevich recalled that the campaign against Sputnik was condemned by OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and the European Federation of Journalists.
Russian Senator Aleksey Pushkov called “complete nonsense” the words of Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu that the campaign against Sputnik is a “defense of Europe” issue. “They just shut down the unwelcome media. That’s it for “defense of Europe”, the politician wrote on Twitter.
Russkiy Mir
reported that Sputnik Estonia employees, who were under pressure from the Estonian police, decided to terminate their contracts with the editorial board under the threat of criminal prosecution. On January 1, the site began to work in emergency mode. The threats against journalists were explained by the fact that Dmitry Kiselyov, general director of MIA Rossiya Segodnya, is under European sanctions.
Executive Director of MIA Rossiya Segondnya Kirill Vyshinsky noted that the media are not subject to sanctions, and Sputnik journalists have never violated Estonian laws.
Russkiy Mir
