MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign ministry called U.S. news media to a meeting on Monday to warn that their accreditations and visas could be withdrawn if the United States does not rescind measures limiting Russian journalists there.
The warning from ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova comes amid high tensions with the West over what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine, where Russian forces have taken substantial territory.
The Kremlin-funded TV channel RT News Today was dropped by U.S.cable and satellite operators, state-run TV stations have been targeted by U.S. sanctions and YouTube has blocked many official Russian channels, including feeds of Zakharova’s weekly briefings.
Zakharova also said Russian journalists have been denied U.S. visas or extensions of them and that some have been detained for lengthy interrogations at airports.
«Why on earth would we have to endure all this? If they want to destroy our media space, then we will destroy it together,» she said.»You see, it´s like cutting a dog´s tail piece by piece. Let´s cut it off right away and not suffer.»
«If our journalists are not restored in their rights, and our Russian media are not restored their rights, these same measures will affect you,» Zakharova said.
