Russia warned on Thursday that it would respond to US sanctions against Russian media with “symmetrical and/or asymmetrical measures” against American media.
“The actions of the US authorities, which directly contradict their obligations regarding free access to information and media pluralism, will not remain unanswered,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Maria Zakharova.
He stressed that Attempts to expel Russian journalists from the United Statescreating unacceptable conditions for their work or any other form of obstruction to their activities will be a reason to adopt “symmetrical and/or asymmetrical retaliatory measures against the American media”.
The diplomat thus commented in statements to the press on the sanctions announced this Wednesday by the United States against Russian media such as the television channel RT and against several journalists for having participated in an alleged campaign orchestrated by the Kremlin to influence the American presidential elections.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned ten people on Wednesday, including several journalists and executives of the RT channel, as well as two Russian entities.
In addition, The US Department of Justice has charged two RT employees as undercover foreign agents.while the State Department imposed visa restrictions and declared RT and its subsidiaries RIA Novosti, Sputnik or Ruptly “foreign missions” and not media outlets.
