Russia has issued a sharp response after several Russian state media channels were reportedly blocked for users within the European Union on the messaging platform Telegram.
Channels linked to major outlets, including RIA Novosti, Rossiya 1, and Channel One, were reported inaccessible across the EU on Sunday.
Access to such broadcasters was reportedly restricted in several European countries, including Poland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, and the Czech Republic, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “The systematic cleansing of all undesirable sources of information from the information space continues.”
“These attacks and similar ones against our media will not go unanswered.”
She added: “We reserve the right to respond in the same manner.”
The spokesperson called it an ongoing effort to suppress Russian media across nearly all EU nations and warned that such actions would not be left without a response.
The EU has previously banned Russian state outlets, citing concerns over propaganda and disinformation amid the ongoing Ukraine war.
Several outlets were reportedly banned in May, with the EU Council justifying the decision by stating that these news outlets were directly or indirectly controlled by the Russian government and played a role in promoting Russia’s war efforts.
As the EU enforces stricter regulations on Russian media, Moscow’s warnings hint at possible reciprocal actions that could affect European media or platforms operating in Russia.
Neither the platform nor EU officials have commented on the alleged disruption.
