The channel has been subject to European Union sanctions since December of the same year, including a ban on broadcasting in Europe.
Although he denies having closed the channel’s German office or withdrawn their accreditation from the channel’s journalists, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not rule out the possibility that two Russian journalists from Pervy Kanal were refused a travel permit. stay or an extension of residence permit.
But he stressed that decisions on the matter in Germany “always lie with regional authorities” and not with the government in Berlin.
Arguing the supposed ban on Pervy Kanal correspondents, Russian diplomatic spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced “to take similar measures against ARD journalists in Moscow”.
In February 2022, Russia had already closed the German international radio and television station Deutsche Welle in response to the broadcasting ban imposed on the Russian channel RT, widely considered in Europe as an organ of disinformation and propaganda of the Kremlin.
