09:32, 2 September 2024Source: 

Before his visit to Mongolia scheduled for September 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an interview to the local newspaper Onodor.

During the interview, Putin was reminded that in Russia the activities of “some of the country’s media outlets” had been banned, while in a number of Western countries “traditional Russian media outlets had been banned and blocked on social networks,” and was asked how, in his opinion, “a balance can be maintained between freedom of the press and national security”?

“In Russia, the media are free. This is firmly guaranteed by the Constitution. We are convinced of the need for pluralism and openness in the information sphere,” Putin said (from here on, quotes from the transcript of the interview on the Kremlin website).

The authorities, according to Putin, “constructively interact with television channels, news agencies, newspapers, Internet portals and other mass communications organizations, regardless of editorial policy.”

The only requirement for the media in Russia, Putin said, is “compliance with Russian legislation.” “Foreign correspondents accredited in our country should understand this. In this way, the necessary balance between freedom of the press and national security will be maintained,” he said.

At the same time, the Russian President stated, “in practically all Western countries where our journalists try to work, various obstacles are put in their way, Russian TV channels are banned, direct censorship is introduced against our media and Internet information resources.” “Of course, this contradicts the democratic principles of freedom of speech and free dissemination of information,” Putin said, emphasizing that, in his opinion, “the only thing our media do is to convincingly convey the Russian point of view on current modern problems, on the processes taking place in the world.”

In the Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, Russia ranks 162 out of 180 in 2024. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, the index’s compilers recalled, “almost all independent media have been banned, blocked, and/or declared ‘foreign agents’ or ‘undesirable organizations,’ while the remaining ones are subject to military censorship.” The Reporters Without Borders website has been blocked in Russia since April 2024 .

(C)MEDUZA 2024