Russian media banned from Ukrainian government events

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stopped the accreditation of Russian news media as of this week, the ministry press office reported on March 5. This implies that journalists working for blacklisted media outlets will not have access to primary sources of official information in Ukraine.

Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, has issued a statement describing the refusal of the Ukrainian authorities to accredit Russian news media as “an absolutely counterproductive measure, absolutely unwarranted.”

Dolgov explained that “this is yet another absolutely destructive step which will have the most detrimental consequences first and foremost for Ukrainian citizens, as millions of people will no longer have access to sources of information in their own language.”

According to Dolgov, such decisions are a “breach of duty for Ukraine in the sphere of freedom of speech and freedom of information.”

“From this week onwards we are stopping the accreditation of Russian media at events held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” reports the press office of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On February 12, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a regulation blocking the accreditation of several Russian media outlets at Ukrainian government events until the end of the military conflict.

About 110 Russian media outlets have been blacklisted, including TASS, RIA Novosti, Channel One, LifeNews and RT (formerly Russia Today). Journalists working for blacklisted media outlets will not be able to attend events held by the Ukrainian government, which means that these outlets will not have access to primary sources of official information in Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko demanded to put an end to “Russian informational aggression.”