Russia on Tuesday announced it had blacklisted 49 British people, including defence officials and notable journalists and editors from the BBC, the Financial Times, and the Guardian…
After Vladimir Putin dispatched troops to Ukraine on February 24, London has been one of the most outspoken backers of the Ukrainian capital.
As the Russian Foreign Ministry noted, “the British journalists on this list are actively taking part in the distribution of misleading and one-sided information regarding Russia, the events in Ukraine, and the Donbas,”
Shaun Walker of The Guardian, Gideon Rachman of The Financial Times, and political expert Mark Galeotti are among the 29 journalists barred from entering Russia.
Witherow, editor of the Times; Evans, editor of the Daily Telegraph; Davie, BBC director-general; Viner, Guardian editor, and Verity editor of the Daily Mail are all on the list as well.
Sophy Ridge, host of Sky News’s weekly political programme, and BBC Radio 4’s Nick Robinson are also on the list.
Following Moscow’s introduction of jail penalties of up to 15 years for propagating “false news” against the Russian army, most international journalists have departed the country.
As a result, the terms “war” and “invasion” have been prohibited by Moscow, as it refers to its Ukrainian onslaught as a “special military operation.”
“The only persons on this list of 29 people banned from Russia who were really travelling to Russia frequently in recent years are myself and @MarkGaleotti,” Walker tweeted.
It’s a “quite unusual/sad sensation to be placed on their sanctions list along with other British colleagues,” he said. “I wasn’t rushing to Z-land Russia, but it is still a strange and sad feeling.”
“Russia has been a part of my life for more than a decade now, and I’ve travelled there at least once a year since 2000.”
Additionally, the list includes the names of 20 high-ranking government officials and members of the defence industry, such as Royal Air Force (RAF) Chief Michael Wigston and MP Leo Docherty.
It has been reported that British military personnel are engaged in deciding about transferring weapons to Ukraine.
More than £750 million in military aid has been sent to Ukraine, including air defence systems, thousands of anti-tank missiles and other munitions, hundreds of armoured vehicles and other equipment.
Works at The Truth International Magazine. My area of interest includes international relations, peace & conflict studies, qualitative & quantitative research in social sciences, and world politics. Reach@ [email protected]
