Kremlin Calls EU Sanctions on Former RT France Bureau Chief 'Pressure on Media'

The Kremlin has criticized European Union sanctions imposed on Ksenia Fyodorova, the former bureau chief of RT France, describing the measures as pressure on media, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The European Union placed Fyodorova under sanctions after accusing her activities of constituting what Brussels described as "information manipulation" and conduct that "undermines democracy" within the bloc, TASS reported. The specific EU legal basis and date of the sanctions designation, as well as the exact restrictions imposed on Fyodorova, were not detailed in the available report.

RT, formerly known as Russia Today, is a Russian state-funded broadcaster that has been the subject of broadcasting bans and sanctions across the European Union since 2022, when the bloc suspended RT's licenses to operate within EU member states as part of a broader package of measures following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EU has said such measures are intended to curb what it characterizes as Russian state disinformation efforts targeting European audiences.

Moscow has consistently rejected characterizations of RT and its staff as engaged in disinformation, instead describing EU actions against Russian state media and affiliated individuals as an attack on press freedom and a politically motivated effort to suppress viewpoints unfavorable to Western governments.

The dispute over Fyodorova's sanctioning reflects the broader and ongoing tension between Russia and the European Union over the status and activities of Russian state media in Europe, a flashpoint that has recurred repeatedly since the bans were first introduced in 2022.

Neither the Kremlin's full statement nor further comment from EU officials regarding Fyodorova's specific case was included in the available reporting.