On April 24, Maria Zakharova, official representative of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that local journalists in France faced harassment following an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Speaking at a briefing in Izhevsk, Zakharova stated: “How can they interview Russian representatives when they have to justify themselves to everyone in France for another couple of weeks? These allegedly aggressive public figures, whom we, of course, know who is behind, that they just asked a question.”
Zakharova’s remarks came in response to French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere’s assertion that French journalists are free to interview anyone. According to her, television reporters who interviewed Lavrov instead of the “well-deserved prize and recognition for their actions in the interests of freedom of speech in Europe” would “receive punches” and face harassment.
This followed a decision by France’s media regulator Arcom on February 26, which ordered internet service providers to block websites of 35 Russian media outlets under EU sanctions. The regulator also required that four streaming platforms providing access to Russian television and radio broadcasting services be removed from search results.
The Russian Embassy in Paris condemned the blocking of Russian media websites, calling it a political measure that would deprive French citizens of their right to choose information sources.
