MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - Restrictive measures introduced by Ukrainian authorities against the Russian media will eventually have dangerous consequences for local press, Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said Saturday.
"Ukrainian media have to understand that nothing good will come of such a vacuum. They should raise awareness of the fact that it is wrong and undemocratic not to allow Russian journalists in Ukraine," Zakharova told radio station, Russia News Service.
"The media play a key role in the transparency of any political process, especially during elections," Zakharova stressed adding that the situation is particularly worrying ahead of the Ukraine's parliament elections scheduled for Sunday.
Adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Herashchenko said earlier that the Interior Ministry will initiate a ban on broadcasting television channels with Russian companies as shareholders.
Prior to the announcement, investigators of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry raided the offices of Ukrainian providers broadcasting Russian television channels in Ukraine. Companies' accounts and digital media were seized.
In early September, the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine announced a list of 15 Russian television channels banned in Ukraine including news channels Russia Today and Life News. Ukrainian authorities also banned a number of Russian journalists from entering the country.
