Russia Expands Media Crackdown by Classifying Deutsche Welle as Undesirable Organization

On Tuesday, Russia’s Ministry of Justice classified the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle as an “undesirable” entity, marking it as the most recent international news organization to be blacklisted in the nation amid a wider assault on journalistic freedom.

This classification prohibits the broadcaster from operating within Russian territory. According to Russian legislation, individuals affiliated with “undesirable” organizations can face sentences of up to four years in prison, while leaders of such organizations may be subject to sentences of up to six years.

Although the Justice Ministry did not provide a statement regarding the designation of DW, State Duma member Vasily Piskaryov, who presides over the Commission of Foreign Interference in the lower house, accused the German broadcaster over the weekend of disseminating “anti-Russian propaganda” and training “disinformation specialists.”

As reports emerged that the authorities in Moscow were gearing up to blacklist the broadcaster, DW’s Director General Barbara Massing stated on Sunday that she and her team would not be intimidated.

“Even in the face of censorship and the blockade of our services by the Russian government, DW’s Russian language service is now reaching a larger audience than ever before,” Massing declared.

Weeks prior to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia compelled the closure of DW’s Moscow office in retaliation to Berlin’s ban on the German-language broadcasts of the Kremlin-affiliated outlet RT.

In March 2022, Russia’s Justice Ministry designated DW as a “foreign agent,” leading to the subsequent blocking of its website within the country.

Russia enacted its “undesirable” law in 2015 to hinder independent media, opposition movements, and organizations funded from abroad. Currently, hundreds of entities, including The Moscow Times, are on the blacklist.

The German government expressed its disapproval of Russia’s ban on DW, accusing the Kremlin of “fearing independent information, particularly concerning its aggressive war against Ukraine.”