LONDON, December 3. /TASS/. The publications of personal data on Russian journalists working in the United Kingdom in the British mass media is appalling and endangers their security, the Russian embassy in the UK said on Sunday.
"It is offensive that the personal data of Russian journalists, including their IDs and the license plate of their car, were made public. It endangers security of Russian citizens, let alone the fact that it is a blatant violation of the norms generally recognized in civilized countries," the embassy said. "It should be noted that this episode is part of a general campaign by the British authorities seeking to create obstacles for the work of Russian media in the country. Many of our journalists complain about visa problems, accounts with British banks being closed, and numerous cases of baseless nit-picking by regulating bodies."
The Mail on Sunday said that the British authorities suspected a filming crew from Russia’s Channel One TV of engaging in espionage. According to the newspaper, Channel One correspondent Timur Siraziyev and his cameraman were allegedly seen on November 21 near the base of the 77th brigade, a secret unit of the UK army collaborating with MI5, MI6 and the Special Air Service on issues of electronic and psychological warfare, in Berkshire. The newspaper published a photo of Siraziyev’s press card and the license plate of his service car.
The journalist told TASS that the publication has nothing to do with the real state of things. In his words, his crew never bugged anything but was only shooting a video report about the base using unclassified information available in the internet.