Discrimination against Russian journalists triggered the retaliatory move, the Foreign Ministry has said
Moscow’s decision to ban French journalist Benjamin Quenelle from entering the country was not personal, but a response to France’s ongoing discrimination against Russian media, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
In an open letter on Wednesday, Le Monde condemned the Russian visa ban against its employee as “yet another obstacle to freedom of information” and urged Moscow to reconsider. On Thursday, Zakharova clarified that Quenelle was chosen at random, following a French refusal to allow a reporter with Komsomolskaya Pravda to work in Paris. The French government has accused the Russian outlet of providing cover for intelligence agents, a claim that Le Monde endorsed by labeling the outlet’s staff “so-called journalists.”
France has a history of obstructing the work of Russian news organizations, a policy backed by President Emmanuel Macron. During his 2017 re-election campaign, Macron prohibited Russian outlets, including RT, from attending campaign events, accusing them of disseminating disinformation about his candidacy.
More recent incidents occurred during the Olympic Summer Games in Paris last year. Then Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the media his department had rejected a “large number” of media credential applications by Russian nationals. He claimed they posed a security threat, since agents posing as reporters could carry out cyberattacks. Some Russian journalists had their credentials revoked while they were covering the Games.
French targeting of Russian media reflects a broader Western approach since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The EU has implemented a blanket ban on numerous Russian outlets, banning their broadcasts and instructing social media platforms to restrict access to their content.
Moscow views Paris’ actions as discriminatory and indicative of “Russophobia.” Zakharova described Le Monde’s comments regarding Quenelle’s visa ban as “amazing” and urged the publication, along with French media as a whole, to scrutinize their government’s policies. She pointed to a report detailing Western suppression of Russian media last updated by the Foreign Ministry in January.
Russia has also accused international organizations concerned with press freedom of ignoring attacks against Russian journalists, including what Moscow says were targeted assassinations of frontline reporters by Ukraine.
