The German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has officially announced the closure of its Moscow office. DW reports that in this way the German broadcaster is complying with the broadcasting ban from the Russian government. However, it is reported that the ban on work in Russia will be challenged in court.
DW CEO Peter Limburg called the measures taken by the Russian government – a ban on broadcasts, closing offices and withdrawal of accreditations – “an overreaction”. He also said that his company faced problems that “the media can only face in autocracies.”
DW said in a statement that their DW English and DW Deutsch channels have been operating in Russia since 2005, and current licenses are valid for DW English until 2025 and for DW Deutsch until 2027.
Earlier it was reported that the Russian authorities, in response to the ban on broadcasting in Germany of the Russian TV channel RT DE, banned the broadcasting of the German television and radio company Deutsche Welle, and also demanded the closure of the bureau in Russia, canceled the accreditation of journalists and demanded that the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation recognize DW as a foreign media agent.
