Support The Moscow Times!

Russian MFA Spokesperson Wishes BBC “Good Luck” After RT Scandal

Maria Zakharova Alexander Shcherbak / TASS

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian MFA, has criticized an article published by the BBC’s Russian service about the UK accounts of Kremlin-funded broadcaster RT (formerly known as Russia Today).

“The Russian-speaking daughter of Her Majesty’s mouthpiece took only a day to “dig up” on the Russian television channel...But didn’t find anything,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

“In any case, I wish the Russian service of the BBC good luck. It will need it now because digging is something exciting and unpredictable,” Zakharova wrote.

She was likely referring to the article “What Do We Know About the Company Russia Today TV UK Ltd”, published on the Russian-language section of the BBC on Oct. 21. The report covered the location of RT’s office in London and its finances.

On Oct. 17, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan claimed RT’s UK bank accounts had been frozen by NatWest Bank. The British bank later clarified that the accounts were not closed yet and that it was “reviewing the situation.” The British government - both the Treasury and Prime Minister Theresa May’s office - said they had not interfered in the affair.

Read more