Kiev's Ban on Russian Journalists Violation of International Freedom

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) — Kiev’s decision to suspend accreditation of Russian journalists with government institutions is a part of the country’s policy to sanitize the media space, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

“The discriminatory decision of the Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada to suspend accreditation of Russian journalists with government institutions is the continuation of policy aimed at sanitizing the media space, where there is no space for alternative points of view,” the statement reads.

The ministry added that the move, especially in light of the recent Ukraine peace talks in Minsk between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, questions Kiev’s will to find a solution to the conflict in Donbas.

Maria Zakharova, the deputy head of the ministry’s information department, said earlier in the day that the decision is in line with Kiev’s drive to minimize information that does not reflect the government’s official stance. Zakharova branded this policy toward journalism as violation of all international freedom of speech norms.

Earlier on Tuesday, a decree was posted on the Ukrainian government’s website, stating that the accreditation of Russian journalists with government institutions in Ukraine has been suspended. The Ukrainian parliament voted to pass the legislation last week.