Russia's post mission pointed to the EU's fear of alternative opinions

The new European Union (EU) sanctions against the Russian media prove that the association is afraid of an opposing point of view and is strengthening censorship. This was stated by Russia's permanent representation to the EU in Brussels on February 24.

"These kinds of measures, in fact, are yet another evidence that Brussels is afraid of an alternative point of view and seeks to strictly censor information flows," the permanent mission told TASS.

It noted that the association imposes sanctions under the far-fetched pretext of allegedly fighting disinformation and foreign interference. At the same time, the banning of the media undesirable to the EU actually goes against the principles of freedom of speech and access to information, which the association declares.

The representative office pointed out that these restrictions are not legitimate, they show the continuation of a confrontational course towards Russia, which is doomed to failure and harms the interests of both EU countries and their citizens.

The representative office drew attention to the fact that the Europeans ignore the fact that the Ukrainian crisis can be resolved only by eliminating the root causes of the conflict and approve "packages" of sanctions to suit the political conjuncture. These restrictions do not achieve their authors' stated goals and have caused great damage to the EU. As for Russia, they have stimulated the development of industry and new technologies.

Council right: Slovakia ready to block 16th sanctions package

Bratislava opposes restrictions on Russian gas imports

Earlier in the day, EU foreign ministers approved the 16th package of anti-Russian sanctions. It included 48 people and 35 organizations. Restrictions restrict imports of chromium, a number of chemicals and maintenance of oil and gas refineries. In addition, 13 banks are denied access to the SWIFT system. In addition, the export of game consoles and aviation technologies to the Russian Federation is prohibited.

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Maxim Topilin told Izvestia on February 19 that any sanctions against Russia are a violation of international trade rules and a manifestation of the agony of European regimes.