Moscow Calls Deportation of Russian Reporter From Ukraine 'Discrimination'

Russian NTV broadcaster correspondent Vyacheslav Nemyshev, who was detained by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and then expelled from the country, has already returned to Russia, a spokesperson for NTV told Sputnik Thursday. The Russian Foreign Ministry considers it "an act of discrimination."

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow considers Ukraine's decision to deport Russia's NTV television channel correspondent Vyacheslav Nemyshev a manifestation of Kiev's discriminatory policy in relation to Russian media, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

"Once again, the world community witnessed the discriminatory, in fact, repressive policy of Kiev against Russian media. Early this morning, NTV correspondent Vyacheslav Nemyshev, after many hours of questioning by the police and then security services, was deported from Ukrainian territory 'for activities that harm national interests'," the ministry said.

Earlier in the day, SBU said it had expelled Nemyshev from Ukraine and banned him from entering the country for three years. Nemyshev has already returned to Russia.

Kiev has repeatedly limited the activities of foreign and even some local opposition media outlets in Ukraine. As an example, Kiev, in March 2015 issued a list of 115 Russian media outlets which could be denied or temporarily suspended accreditation by Ukrainian authorities as the outlets "posed threats" to Ukrainian state security. When the regulation came into force, a number of Russian journalists and television reporters were denied entry to Ukraine or deported to Russia.

In early August, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the OSCE and the Council of Europe member states, as well as international organizations, to condemn Kiev's policy against the media. There are already dozens of cases of harassment of journalists in Ukraine.