Moscow says the label means any type of cooperation with the broadcaster might be prosecuted.
Printed On 16 Dec 2025
Russia has labelled Germany’s worldwide broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) an “undesirable organisation”, primarily banning its operation within the nation.
The designation appeared in a Ministry of Justice register on Tuesday after Vasily Piskarev, head of the Russian parliament’s Fee for the Investigation of Overseas Interference in Russia’s Inside Affairs, stated DW was “on the forefront of hostile anti-Russian propaganda”.
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He added that the “undesirable” label means any type of cooperation with DW any longer can be prosecuted.
Russia recurrently designates entities it says undermine its constitutional order or nationwide safety as “undesirable”. The legislation specifies jail phrases of as much as 5 years for funding such exercise and 6 years for organising it.
The broadcaster had already been declared a “international agent”, a label used towards critics of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s insurance policies.
DW Director Normal Barbara Massing stated in a press release that the broadcaster wouldn’t be deterred.
“This newest try to silence free media highlights the Russian regime’s blatant disregard for press freedom and exposes its worry of impartial data,” she stated.
Massing stated DW’s Russian-language service, regardless of censorship and blocking, was reaching a bigger viewers than ever earlier than.
“We’ll proceed to report independently on the warfare of aggression towards Ukraine and different subjects about which little data is on the market in Russia, so that individuals can kind their very own opinions,” she stated.
The German authorities decried the choice. DW quoted authorities spokesman Stefan Kornelius as saying it demonstrates that “the Russian management fears impartial data, particularly concerning the warfare of aggression towards Ukraine.”
Germany’s Federal Overseas Workplace stated “freedom of the press is now not assured” in Russia, DW reported.
The broadcaster stated audiences in Russia may nonetheless learn and watch its protection via various browsers or VPNs.
It stated that this yr, DW’s Russian-language content material has reached 10 million weekly viewers, primarily via video content material.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, its Justice Ministry has banned dozens of teams crucial of the Kremlin or Russia’s conduct within the warfare.
Tuesday’s declaration got here after Germany on Friday accused Russia of a cyberattack focusing on its air visitors management system and of spreading disinformation earlier than February’s basic election.
Russia dismissed the claims as “absurd” and “baseless”.
Germany’s decrease home of parliament, the Bundestag, additionally suffered a significant e mail outage on Monday, which German officers blamed on a Russian cyberattack.
