German government denies role in closure of Russian TV channel office

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday that his government had no role in the closure of the Berlin office of the Russian TV Channel One (Pervy).

“Let me maybe start by saying the Russian claims are false. The federal government has not closed the office of this station. Russian journalists can report freely and unhindered in Germany,” Christian Wagner told the press in Berlin.

“A number of Russian journalists are accredited by the Federal Press Office. I can assume that this is related to issues of residence law. State authorities, who make these decisions completely independently of the federal government, should be contacted,” he added.

Wagner pointed out that the European Union imposed sanctions on the Russian channel in December 2022 and that there was a broadcast ban on this channel in Europe.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced earlier in the day that her country expelled two German journalists in a retaliatory move.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova said in response to Berlin's ban on the work of the correspondent point of the Russian Channel One in Germany, Russia took "mirror measures" against correspondents of German media group ARD.​​​​​​​

"Now the Foreign Ministry has invited the head of the corps of this German mass media to announce this decision. In response to Berlin's unfriendly actions against Russian correspondents, German correspondents were ordered to hand over their accreditation certificates and leave the territory of the Russian Federation," she said.

Zakharova noted that Russia may reconsider its decision, if the German authorities lift the ban from activities of Channel One and allow reopening of its correspondent point.​​​​​​​