Support The Moscow Times!

Moscow Threatens to Expel U.S. Journalists Over YouTube Block

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Donat Sorokin / TASS

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday threatened to expel a U.S. journalist or U.S. media outlet if YouTube again blocks broadcasts of its weekly press briefings.

"A few of my briefings were blocked. What we did is we went ahead and said: 'if you block a briefing one more time, one journalist or one U.S. outlet will go home'," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a roundtable discussion.

She also took aim at Polish media, "taking into account that all this is overseen by a lady with Polish citizenship," referring to the platform's CEO Susan Wojcicki, a U.S. citizen of Polish descent.

"Given Poland's position [towards Russia], we may not stop at U.S." media, Zakharova added in quotes carried by Russian news agencies.

Since Russia began its military operation in Ukraine on Feb. 24, YouTube has deleted the channels of many pro-Kremlin media, while state media outlet RT and state-controlled Sputnik were blocked in most Western countries. 

Last week, Russia said it was closing the Moscow offices of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in retaliation for Ottawa's banning of RT.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more