Russia’s foreign ministry said Wednesday it was closing the CBC’s Moscow office and revoking the visas and accreditation of public television journalists after Canada banned Russia’s state television Russia Today.
“Unfortunately, we continue to see open attacks on the Russian media by countries in the so-called collective West, which are called civilized,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
“A decision has been taken to retaliate, I emphasize retaliation for Canada’s actions: closing the Moscow office of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, including revoking the accreditations and visas of their journalists.
– @ mfa_russia
Zakharova said Ottawa had chosen what it described as a “Russophobic” path, including censorship of the media.
The Russian embassy in Ottawa confirmed the development.
Russia sanctioned 61 Canadians last month, a list that includes a number of CBC employees as well as other Canadian journalists.
Canada on Tuesday introduced a bill in the Senate that would ban Russian President Vladimir Putin and about 1,000 members of his government and military from entering the country as it continues to tighten sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
In March, Putin signed a law punishing him with up to 15 years in prison for spreading deliberately “fake” military news, prompting some Western media outlets to withdraw their reporters from Russia.
Russian officials do not use the word “invasion” and say the Western media has provided too much of a partial account of the war in Ukraine, ignoring Russia’s concerns about NATO enlargement and the alleged persecution of Russian-speakers.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly rebuked the West for what he called undemocratic repression against Russian state media organizations, which he said provided an alternative to Western stories.
Putin describes the war as an inevitable confrontation with the United States, which he accuses of threatening Russia by interfering in its backyard and expanding the military alliance of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Ukraine says it is fighting an imperial-style seizure of land and that Putin’s allegations of genocide and persecution of Russian-speakers are nonsense.
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