Moscow says to block access to 81 EU media outlets, including AFP website

Russia has already blocked access to much of the Western media since sending troops to Ukraine, as well as to Western social media giants. (AFP/File)

• The list also include France’s Le Monde, Germany’s Der Spiegel and Spain’s El Mundo
• “Retaliatory measure” was taken in response to Brussels banning several Russian broadcasts, Moscos said

MOSCOW: Russia said that Tuesday it would block access to 81 EU media outlets, including AFP’s websites, as a “retaliatory measure” after Brussels imposed broadcasting bans on several Russian state media outlets.
The European Union in May said it had decided to block access to four Kremlin-controlled media for being “instrumental in bringing forward and supporting” Moscow’s Ukraine offensive.
Moscow said it was responding to that move.
“Counter-restrictions are being introduced on the access from Russian territory of broadcast resources of media outlets from EU member states,” Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a statement, publishing a list of media outlets and blaming Brussels for the restrictions.
The list included AFP’s homepage afp.com and its client portal afpforum.com.
France’s Le Monde, Germany’s Der Spiegel and Spain’s El Mundo were also among the media outlets named on the list.
Russia denounced the EU sanctions as “politically motivated” and said the bloc’s decisions were “forcing Moscow to take mirror and proportionate countermeasures.”
It said it would “revise” the restrictions if sanctions on Russian media were lifted.
Russia has already blocked access to much of the Western media since sending troops to Ukraine, as well as to Western social media giants.
Domestic media that are critical of President Vladimir Putin’s rule or his Ukraine offensive have also been banned, harassed and outlawed, and many independent media outlets and journalists have fled into exile.