Lavrov: Russia Reserves Right to Respond to RT DE Oppression in Germany

RT DE launched broadcasting last month and almost immediately faced pressure from Berlin: its YouTube channel was deleted and an investigation into the broadcaster was opened by German authorities.

Moscow does not want to create any obstacles to the work of German journalists in Russia but may be forced to do so, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a press conference with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in Moscow on Tuesday.

"We expect that Germany ... will nevertheless take measures that will not discriminate against the RT DE channel," Lavrov added.

There are reasons to believe that the German authorities are directly related to the oppression of Russia's RT DE broadcaster in Germany, Lavrov went on to say.

The Russian Union of Journalists handed over a letter to Baerbock which warns against the politicisation of the work of Russian journalists in Germany.

RT launched its 24/7 news service in German last month, broadcasting live news, talk shows, and documentaries from studios in Moscow and Berlin. By that time, RT DE already ranked No. 1 among German-language media platforms by its interactions on Facebook. However, the channel faced pressure from Berlin and its YouTube account was deleted. Apart from this, German authorities launched an investigation into the broadcaster. After the European satellite operator was forced to prevent RT DE from broadcasting, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described it as "persecution of the media" and "informational segregation" and pledged retaliatory measures.