Berlin confirms sanctions against Russian news crew

A correspondent for broadcaster Channel One and his cameraman were denied residency permits in Germany

A news crew working for Russia’s public broadcaster Channel One has been expelled from Germany due to the sanctions imposed in connection to the conflict in Ukraine, the local authorities in Berlin confirmed on Wednesday evening. 

In a response to newspaper Berliner Zeitung, Berlin’s local government confirmed that correspondent Ivan Blagoy and cameraman Dmitry Volkov were denied residency permits. 

According to Berlin’s immigration office, the action against the news crew was taken because Channel One’s co-owner, the National Media Group, has been blacklisted under the EU’s ninth sanctions package. 

The permits were, therefore, denied in accordance with the law applying to foreigners who “impair or endanger the interests” of Germany, Berliner Zeitung said. Overall, five people were targeted under anti-Russian sanctions in Berlin “in recent months,” according to the newspaper.

Channel One reported on Wednesday morning that the German authorities ordered the closure of its bureau in the EU country’s capital. The German Foreign Ministry quickly rejected these claims as “false,” insisting that “Russian journalists can, as before, broadcast freely and unhindered in Germany.”

The broadcaster argued that the journalists were, in fact, singled out because of their employer. “Yes, our press credentials have not been revoked. However, we were barred from being physically present in the country, which means we were effectively barred from working in accordance with our credentials,” Blagoy said in his news report. 

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According to the journalist, he received a notice from the Berlin authorities claiming that Channel One is spreading “propaganda and disinformation” about the conflict in Ukraine and poses “a significant and direct threat to public order and security of Germany and the European Union.” 

Blagoy has denied the allegations, saying that his reporting has been truthful. The broadcaster similarly described the expulsion of its staff as “punishment for truth and professionalism.”

Russia has responded in kind, expelling correspondent for Germany’s public broadcaster ARD, Frank Aischmann, and technical employee Sven Feller. ARD Foreign Coordinator Joerg Schoenenborn condemned the decision, accusing Moscow of “intimidation and restrictions” on the channel’s reporting. 

The EU has banned multiple Russian news organizations since 2022, citing “disinformation.” Russia responded by blacklisting dozens Western media outlets.