Russia on Wednesday revoked the accreditation of two journalists associated with the German ARD broadcaster and ordered them to leave the country in what the German government saw as “targeting of two Russian journalists” on Russian state TV.
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing in Moscow that German authorities may recognize other ARD employees if they allow journalists from Russia’s Channel One to work in Berlin.
German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner, however, dismissed claims that the federal government had closed Channel One’s offices, as claimed by the Russian broadcaster.
“The federal government has not closed this broadcaster’s office,” Wagner said at a news conference, according to news agency AP.
“Russian journalists can report freely and unhindered in Germany.”
“I can only speculate that this has to do with questions of residency status,” but that is not dealt with by federal authorities in Germany and state authorities make their decisions independently, Wagner added.
Channel One has been under European Union sanctions since December 2022 as tensions between Moscow and the West escalate over Russia’s military action in Ukraine.
EU sanctions prevent it from broadcasting in Europe but do not affect the presence of staff working for it in Berlin.
Reacting to Moscow’s move, the German Foreign Ministry condemned Moscow’s expulsion of the two journalists.
“The expulsion of ARD employees by Russia is unacceptable,” the Foreign Ministry said in a post on social media platform X, adding that Russian journalists were subject to “immigration decisions” that they could appeal.
