Russia Blocks Access to EU Media Outlets, Including Greek and Cypriot News

Moscow announced on Tuesday that it will block access within Russia to broadcasts from 81 media outlets originating from the European Union, including several prominent Greek and Cypriot media organizations.

Among the Greek media outlets affected are the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), Skai Media Holding (skai. gr), Mega television channel (Megatv.com), and the Proto Thema newspaper (protothema. gr). Additionally, three Cypriot news media outlets were included in the ban: the Politis newspaper (politis.com.cy), Cyprus Times online information website (cyprustimes.com), and Cyprus Mail newspaper (cyprus-mail.com).

Upon checking, the Greek City Times website (greekcitytimes.com) was also found to be blocked.

The European Union had previously suspended the distribution of what it identified as four “Kremlin-linked propaganda networks” in May, revoking their broadcasting rights within the bloc. This action targeted Voice of Europe, the RIA news agency, and the newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a list accusing the 81 EU and pan-European outlets of consistently disseminating inaccurate information regarding Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. This list encompasses media from 25 EU member states and pan-European entities, affecting major broadcasters and newspapers, including France’s Agence France-Presse (AFP), Austria’s ORF state TV, Ireland’s RTE, Spain’s EFE news agency, and others.