Russia warns on expelling Western journalists if YouTube blocks access to MFA's briefings

If YouTube limits access to Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokeswoman’s briefings, Western reporters will be deported from the country, the ministry announced on May 26. The foreign ministry had warned YouTube not to ban the of briefings of Maria Zakharova, who hosts a weekly briefing on Russian foreign policy, including the country’s military engagement in Ukraine. State-owned news agency TASS quoted Zakharova as saying, “We just came and told them, you block another briefing, one journalist or American media outlet goes home. Another briefing is blocked and we will name a specific journalist or specific media outlet that will go home.” Her remarks come just days after Russian legislators approved a bill giving prosecutors the authority to shut down foreign media operations in Moscow if a Western country has been “unfriendly” to Russian media. The move is intended as a retaliation for the closure of some Russian state news outlets in Western countries. Zakharova also stated on May 25 that Moscow is working on countermeasures against English-language media in response to “unfriendly moves” by other governments targeting Russian news organisations, but she didn’t elaborate. Further, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a law in March that makes distributing purposefully “false” news about the military punishable by…
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