(Reuters) – Russia has banned dozens of British journalists, media and defense officials from entering the country, the country’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
In a move that Moscow says is a response to Western sanctions and the “spreading of false information about Russia”, 29 journalists and members of British news organizations such as the BBC, Sky News, the Guardian and newspapers Times were specifically banned.
Twenty other British figures who Moscow says are linked to the defense sector have also been banned from entering Russia.
“The British journalists on the list are involved in deliberately spreading false and one-sided information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbass,” the ministry said in a statement.
“With their biased assessments, they have also contributed to the growth of Russophobia in British society.”
The list includes top journalists, presenters, editors and senior executives, including the editors of The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and The Guardian.
Moscow has pledged to retaliate against foreign sanctions against Russian officials and the banning of the Russian press abroad.
The Russian government has already banned US and Canadian officials and journalists from entering the country.
(Reuters report)
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