Commenting on the absurdity of the situation, Margarita Simonyan, the news agency's Editor-in-Chief, said that the closure was both "illegal" and illogical, in that the agency itself not subject to the sanctions, even if Kiselev was banned from having personal accounts in UK banks. Kiselev also strongly criticized the bank's decision, saying that it was a demonstration of censorship, and adding that it interfered with the work of journalists attempting to present alternative viewpoints on world events.
Xinhua's commentary on the matter, written by Deputy Chief of English TV News Chen Yue, noted that the freeze effectively demonstrates "the West's double standards over free press."
Chen said that while "Western countries have been flaunting freedom of press and freedom of speech, [regarding] them as a symbol of democracy…the bank account freeze just exposes their double standards."
Saying that Western journalists too are subject to censorship for "holding views different from 'mainstream voices,'" Chen argued that Rossiya Segodnya has been targeted precisely for its role in providing alternative viewpoints "on the Ukrainian crisis and other international events with a voice [which has] irritated Western countries."