Foreign Ministry statement regarding response measures following the German Commission for Licensing and Supervision’s decision to ban RT DE

On February 2, the German Commission for Licensing and Supervision (ZAK) of media institutions banned the broadcasting of satellite and other programmes of the German-language RT DE broadcaster, citing the absence of the German regulator’s licence.

The decision was made despite the fact that the broadcaster has been working in Germany under a licence issued by Serbia in full compliance with the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, to which Germany is a party.

It has been indicated to Germany on several occasions that politically motivated pressure on the Russian media operator is unacceptable. It has been pointed out that response measures will inevitably be taken if Berlin refuses to look for a constructive solution to the RT DE problem it has itself created.

The German media regulator’s decision is a clear signal that Russia’s concerns have been pointedly disregarded. This leaves us no choice other than to take response measures with regard to German media outlets accredited in Russia and to the internet intermediaries which have deleted the RT DE accounts from its platforms arbitrarily and without good reason.