Russia lists German broadcaster Deutsche Welle as ‘undesirable’

Russia has labelled Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) an “undesirable organisation”, essentially banning its operation in the country.

The designation appeared in a Ministry of Justice register on Tuesday after Vasily Piskarev, head of the Russian parliament’s Commission for the Investigation of Foreign Interference in Russia’s Internal Affairs, said DW was “at the forefront of hostile anti-Russian propaganda”.

He added that the “undesirable” label means any form of cooperation with DW from now on would be prosecuted.

Russia regularly designates entities it says undermine its constitutional order or national security as “undesirable”. The law specifies prison terms of up to five years for funding such activity and six years for organising it.

The broadcaster had already been declared a “foreign agent”, a label used against critics of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s policies.

DW Director General Barbara Massing said in a statement that the broadcaster would not be deterred.

“This latest attempt to silence free media highlights the Russian regime’s blatant disregard for press freedom and exposes its fear of independent information,” she said.

Massing said DW’s Russian-language service, despite censorship and blocking, was reaching a larger audience than ever before.

“We will continue to report independently on the war of aggression against Ukraine and other topics about which little information is available in Russia, so that people can form their own opinions,” she said.

The German government decried the decision. DW quoted government spokesman Stefan Kornelius as saying it demonstrates that “the Russian leadership fears independent information, especially about the war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Germany’s Federal Foreign Office said “freedom of the press is no longer guaranteed” in Russia, DW reported.

The broadcaster said audiences in Russia could still read and watch its coverage through alternative browsers or VPNs.

It said that this year, DW’s Russian-language content has reached 10 million weekly viewers, primarily through video content.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, its Justice Ministry has banned dozens of groups critical of the Kremlin or Russia’s conduct in the war.

Tuesday’s declaration came after Germany on Friday accused Russia of a cyberattack targeting its air traffic control system and of spreading disinformation before February’s general election.

Russia dismissed the claims as “absurd” and “baseless”.