EU suspends distribution of Russia-linked media outlets amid Ukraine conflict

The European Union has suspended the distribution of four Russia-linked media outlets within the EU, despite Moscow's warning earlier this week that such actions would prompt swift retaliation.

The ban affects Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti news agency, and the newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The European Council stated that these outlets "have been essential and instrumental in bringing forward and supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."

This measure is part of the EU's planned 14th package of sanctions against Russia in response to its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Previously, the EU has imposed sanctions on Russian state-owned media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik.

In an interview with Izvestia, the head of the international department of the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) condemned the EU's ban as "unlawful," arguing that the matter should have been decided by a court.

The latest sanctions underscore the ongoing tensions between the EU and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, as the bloc continues to ramp up its punitive measures against Moscow.