The German government has ordered the closure of Russia’s Channel One office in the country, the broadcaster has said.
Correspondent Ivan Blagoy and cameraman Dmitry Volkov were told to depart from Berlin in early December, Channel One announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The German authorities explained the move by citing the country’s security policy, the broadcaster added.
Channel One described the expulsion of its staff as “a punishment for truth and professionalism.” It said Blagoy and Volkov “have made powerful enemies for themselves” by reporting on the actual events in Ukraine, investigating the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, and looking into the questionable dealings of Germany’s elites.
The TV station said the German authorities informed it of the closure of its office in Berlin on Tuesday.
According to Blagoy, the move followed a report by Channel One on the detention of German citizen Nikolay Gaiduk by the Russian security services. Gaiduk was arrested on suspicion of being recruited by the Ukrainian intelligence services to smuggle improvised explosive devices into the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and sabotage gas facilities there.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS that Moscow will announce measures in response to the shutting down of Channel One’s bureau in Germany later on Wednesday.
The broadcaster cited a document it received from the German authorities, which reportedly stated that “the activities of Channel One represent a significant immediate threat to public order and security in Germany and the EU as they pose a threat to the process of the formation of the public opinion and decision-making in the member states.”
The document also said that despite the Russian TV station’s website being blocked in Germany, its content “is still available on the Internet, is distributed via Telegram channels and continues to influence the Russian-speaking population of Germany.”
“Russian media promoted the decline of the West and the economic collapse of Europe. This narrative and other far-right narratives have taken root among many Russian speakers, causing mistrust of the structures of the German state, the EU, and influencing far-right groups in Germany,” the document added, as cited by Channel One.
In late September, a couple from the German city of Karlsruhe was arrested on suspicion of broadcasting RT and other Russian TV channels via the internet. They may face at least one year in prison if found guilty of violating the Foreign Trade Act.
Almost all Russian media organizations were banned in the EU in March 2022 after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
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