Kremlin Charges US with Unacceptable Pressure on Russian Media, According to Reuters

Kremlin Accuses U.S. of Pressuring Russian Media Amid Sanctions Case

The Kremlin has recently voiced allegations against the United States for exerting unacceptable pressure on Russian media. This comes after the U.S. Justice Department filed charges against Russian TV contributor Dimitri Simes and his wife for purported violations of U.S. sanctions.

These indictments were revealed just a day after the U.S. took multiple legal actions against Russia, aimed at addressing claims of interference in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. This included charging two employees of the state media network RT and imposing sanctions on RT along with its chief editor.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov asserted that Russia is not attempting to meddle in the U.S. political process and accused Washington of trying to eliminate the Russian viewpoint from global discourse. He stated that the U.S. seeks to prevent people from accessing news from the Russian perspective.

Peskov remarked, "Washington continues its efforts to apply pressure on Russia and its citizens, including Russian media outlets, which aim to inform both domestic and international audiences about events from our viewpoint. The U.S. refuses to acknowledge the existence of alternative news sources. This is blatant pressure, and we strongly condemn this unacceptable behavior."

While Russia continues to grant accreditation to Western journalists, many have departed since the initiation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges in March 2023 also contributed to this exodus. Gershkovich, who denied the allegations, was released in a prisoner exchange last month.

In response to the U.S. actions against RT, Russia has signaled that it will impose retaliatory measures against American media. When asked about the specifics of these measures, Peskov indicated that Russia is thoroughly reviewing the editorial policies of various foreign media and will take those aspects into consideration when making decisions, which he suggested would be addressed on a case-by-case basis.