TASS reported that the German government shut down the German bureau of Russia’s Channel One TV, by ordering their two Berlin correspondents to leave the country due to unspecified visa problems. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Channel One: “We are witnessing a clear and discernible policy of oppression against Russian journalists. Our broadcasters are not allowed to broadcast; our journalists are not allowed to perform their professional duty, they are denied the opportunity to extend their accreditations—this is what freedom of speech, European-style, looks like.”
Moscow retaliated by expelling two journalists of Germany’s ARD media group.
