Germany falsifies shutting down Russian press bureau claims


(MENAFN) Germany has rejected claims made by Russian state broadcaster channel 1 that it had ordered the closure of its Berlin bureau, calling the allegations false. Christian Wagner, spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, clarified on Wednesday that no such action had been taken. He stressed that Russian journalists could continue working in Germany without restrictions, despite EU sanctions on certain Russian media content. Wagner explained that these sanctions only affect broadcasting but do not prevent journalists from operating.

The dispute began when Channel 1 reported that its Berlin office was being shut down, and journalists Ivan Blagoy and Dmitry Volkov were ordered to leave by mid-December. The broadcaster suggested the closure was retaliation for its coverage of the detention of Nikolai Gaiduk, a Ukrainian-born German citizen accused by Moscow of espionage.

In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced it would expel two German journalists from ARD, a German state-funded broadcaster, and reassess the accreditation of new ARD staff until the issue with Channel 1 was resolved. Wagner further noted that other Russian journalists remain accredited in Germany and condemned Russia’s actions as a retaliatory “mirror measure.”

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