Kremlin condemns EU sanctions on Russian TV commentator Xenia Fedorova as ‘persecution’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Kremlin condemns EU sanctions on Russian TV commentator Xenia Fedorova as ‘persecution’")
Image for representation Photograph: (AFP)
The Kremlin condemned EU sanctions against Russian commentator Xenia Fedorova as "unlawful persecution." The former RT France executive was expelled from France over allegations of spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda.
The Kremlin on Friday (Sep 25) condemned European Union sanctions imposed on Russian commentator Xenia Fedorova, calling them “unlawful” and describing the move as the “persecution of a media representative”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remarks during a briefing while responding to the EU’s decision to sanction Fedorova, who was expelled from France last month over accusations that she was spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda.
“This is not the first unlawful sanction of this kind. This is blatant pressure on the media. This is the persecution of a media representative,” Peskov told reporters.
The 27-member bloc described Fedorova, 45, as a Russian media figure and former senior executive of RT France who was involved in disseminating what it called pro-Russian narratives in France and across the European Union amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Why was Fedorova expelled from France?
Fedorova was expelled from France in August after losing an appeal against a court ruling ordering her to leave the country over allegations of spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda.
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot defended the decision, saying France and the EU would continue to counter what he described as Russia’s destabilising activities.
“France, like the European Union, will continue to thwart Russia’s destabilizing activities on our soil,” Barrot wrote on X.
He added that people who believed they could carry out hostile actions against French democracy “with impunity” would face consequences.
Fedorova’s links to RT
Fedorova previously headed RT France, the French arm of Russia’s state-backed broadcaster RT. The channel was banned in France after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Following the ban, Fedorova worked as a commentator for broadcasters belonging to the group of conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré, including CNews, a French television channel often compared with Fox News in the United States.
Fedorova has rejected the accusations against her, describing them as “censorship”. She has also said she was outside France on holiday when the deportation order came into effect.
