Russia is trying to silence Deutsche Welle once and for all. DW is now considered an “undesirable organization” in the country. Which, in practice, according to Russian law, means that cooperating with the broadcaster becomes a crime.
An offense which can be punished with heavy fines or even imprisonment. Even sharing our videos has now become illegal. A clear measure to censor freedom of the press. And try to control the narrative of the Ukraine war among Russians.
“Russia may view us as an undesirable organization, but that won’t stop us. This new attempt to silence free media highlights the Russian regime’s blatant disregard for press freedom and reveals its fear of independent reporting,” said Barbara Massing, general director of DW.
Russia has already banned dozens of international organizations, including media outlets. Vladimir Putin’s government has long waged a campaign to suppress critical voices. Something that intensified with the start of the war, in 2022. That year, DW was classified as a “foreign agent” and saw its branch in Moscow closed.
DW is financed by the German federal budget. But it is not a government agency, but an editorially independent media organization. Despite increasing censorship, our Russian-language service reaches 10 million users per week.
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