Russia bans German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in tit-for-tat move

MOSCOW: The Russian Foreign Ministry announced a ban on German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) on Thursday, effectively ending the organization's work in Russia, closing its Moscow bureau and revoking the accreditation of its journalists.

Deutsche Welle pledged to lodge a legal challenge against the move and said it would continue its coverage undeterred.

"The measures of the Russian authorities are in no way comprehensible and a complete overreaction," said Peter Limbourg, director general of the German taxpayer-funded news broadcaster.

He said the Russian decision turned Deutsche Welle into "a pawn" in a way typical of autocratic states.

"We protest fully against this absurd reaction of the Russian government and will take legal action against the announced measures," Limbourg added.

The broadcaster vowed to continue its work from the Moscow bureau until it was formally informed of the measures beyond the ministry's announcement.

"Even if we eventually have to close it down, this would not affect our coverage of Russia. On the contrary, we would significantly strengthen coverage," the DW boss said.

Moscow's move came in swift retaliation for a decision on Wednesday by the Commission for Licensing and Supervision (ZAK), the agency responsible for regulating media outlets in Germany, banning Russian state-owned TV channel RT DE from broadcasting in the country due to its lack of a licence.

RT - formerly Russia Today - broadcasts internationally in six languages and claims that its German-language programming contributes to the diversity of opinion in Europe. Critics meanwhile accuse RT of being a Kremlin mouthpiece used to disseminate propaganda and disinformation.

"The situation is perfectly clear: a Russian media outlet, I would even say an international media outlet, has been banned from broadcasting in Germany. This is nothing less than an attack on freedom of speech," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, according to the Interfax news agency.

Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova had earlier in the day criticized the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for its silence following the German regulator's decision, accusing it of failing to stand up for media freedom.

At a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow in January, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that all state broadcasting is banned in Germany due to the central role the state media played under Nazism.

The move was anticipated by many observers. RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan had proposed making moves against Deutsche Welle earlier in the day, while the Foreign Ministry has in the past repeatedly threatened to take action against German media outlets and their correspondents in Moscow.

Deutsche Welle, or DW, is a German state-owned 24-hour news channel funded by the federal tax budget. It airs programming in German, English, Spanish and Arabic.

In mid-December, RT launched German-language TV programming in Germany via various distribution channels, including its website and satellite.

Germany's deputy minister for culture and media was quick to point out the difference between RT and DW.

RT DE broadcasts without a licence and has not applied for one, Claudia Roth said.

"I therefore urge the Russian side not to misuse the licensing problems of the RT channel in order to make a political point. Clear steps of de-escalation are needed in the mutual relationship," she said.

DW was also backed by the German Journalists' Association (DJV) on Thursday, whose chairman Frank Überall called the censorship completely unjustified.

He called on the German government to oppose the Russian ban vehemently.