The State Department imposed new sanctions on Russian media on Wednesday
Repeated sanctions to limit the freedom of Russian media in the US show that Washington is losing its democratic values, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Zakharova made these comments to RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Wednesday, shortly after the US imposed new sanctions.
Washington has already imposed strict restrictions on Russian media, Zakharova noted. The new sanctions “prove that the United States is no longer a democracy and has become a totalitarian neoliberal dictatorship,” she said. She added that news outlets are now “bargaining chips in political battles, and the public is deliberately misled by false accusations of interference in ‘democratic processes.’”
The attacks on Russian media are “the result of carefully planned operations” by intelligence agencies, Zakharova said, and these operations are coordinated with mainstream media outlets. The goal, she claims, is “to eliminate any dissenting opinions from the national and, eventually, the global information space.” This new “witch hunt” is designed to keep “the population in a constant state of fear,” and to create an image of “an external enemy” – in this case, Russia, she said.
Despite these efforts, there is still a demand for news coverage by RT and other Russian news sources, Zakharova added.
On Wednesday, the Justice, State, and Treasury Departments announced a joint effort to target Russian media – including RT – and individuals with sanctions and criminal charges. The Biden administration claims these individuals and organizations are involved in “government-sponsored attempts to manipulate US public opinion” ahead of the presidential election in November. The new designations “complement law enforcement actions” such as visa restrictions, as well as a ‘Rewards for Justice’ offer of up to $10 million for “information pertaining to foreign interference in a US election.” They claim that RT used a front company to hide its own involvement, or the involvement of the Russian government, in content designed to influence US audiences.
These actions by the US “directly violate their obligations to ensure free access to information and media pluralism” and will not go unanswered, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.