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MOSCOW. — Repeated sanctions to limit the freedom of Russian media in the US point to the erosion of democratic values in Washington, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
The spokeswoman made the comments to RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Wednesday, just hours after the US rolled out a new round of sanctions.
Washington imposed severe restrictions on Russian media in the past, Zakharova noted.
The imposition of these new sanctions “testifies to the irreversible degradation of the democratic state in the United States and its transformation into a totalitarian neoliberal dictatorship,” she said.
She added that news outlets have become a “bargaining chip in partisan disputes, and the public is deliberately misled by insinuations about mythical interference in ‘democratic processes.'”
The attacks on Russian media are “the result of carefully thought-out operations” planned by intelligence services and coordinated with mainstream media outlets, Zakharova said.
The goal, she claimed, is to “to sterilise the national and – in the future – global information space from any forms of dissenting opinion.”
This new “witch hunt” is aimed at keeping “the populace in a state of permanent stress,” as well as building up the image of “an external foe” – in this case, Russia, she went on to say.
Despite this, there is a demand for media coverage by RT and other Russian news resources, Zakharova added.
On Wednesday, the Justice, State, and Treasury Departments announced a joint effort to target with sanctions and criminal charges Russian media – including RT – and individuals which the administration of US President Joe Biden claim are Russian “government-sponsored attempts to manipulate US public opinion” ahead of the presidential election this November.
The new designations “complement law enforcement actions” such as visa restrictions, as well as a ‘Rewards for Justice’ offer of up to $10 million for “information pertaining to foreign interference in a US election.”
They claim that RT used a front company to disguise its own involvement or the involvement of the Russian government in content meant to influence US audiences.
These actions by the US “directly contravene their obligations to ensure free access to information and media pluralism” and will not go unanswered, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. – RT.com
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter