MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russia regrets Ukraine Foreign Ministry’s decision to suspend accreditation for Russian media to its events, Russian Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Kostantin Dolgov told TASS on Thursday.
"This is an absolutely counter-productive decision, and it is absolutely groundless," the diplomat said. "This is another step in line with the well-known decision of the Verkhovna Rada. It is the cleaning of the informational field, and, as we see, it continues. This is the cleaning from undesirable Russian media," Dolgov said.
Such decisions "violate Ukraine’s commitments in the sphere of freedom of expression and information," the diplomat said.
"This is another absolutely destructive step which will have the most serious consequences for Ukrainian citizens because millions will lose access to information sources in their own language," Dolgov stressed.
The diplomat noted that the Ukrainian authorities are violating not only the rights of their own citizens, but also "[Ukraine’s] commitments in the framework of OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]."
"We expect appropriate, appropriately strict, not formal reaction from OSCE representatives on media freedom," the diplomat said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry announced earlier on Thursday suspension of accreditation for Russian media to its events. "Starting from this week, we do not provide accreditation for Russian media [to events held at Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry]," the ministry’s press service said in response to a request on accreditation to press meeting with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
Ukraine suspended accreditation for Russian media at government bodies in February. Ukraine’s Security Service made a list of more than 100 Russian media. According to Ukrainian Security Service’s press service head Elena Gitlyanskaya, TASS was also put on the list.