LONDON, December 24. /TASS/. The UK government does not miss any opportunities to hinder the work of Russian media in the country, the Russian Embassy in London said on Monday commenting on the Sunday Times publication that contains personal information of eight employees of Russia's Sputnik bureau in Edinburgh, as well as calls to seize their assets in the UK by Member of the Scottish Parliament Alex Cole-Hamilton.
"Despite being a member of an opposition party, Mr Cole-Hamilton seems to understand intimately the political strategy of the Conservative Government towards Russian media in the UK. Pressure from all sides, ranking from ungrounded accusations to visa and banking problems is the new reality. Few opportunities to hinder the work of our media in the UK have been missed, in defiance of the UK international obligations and the civilized rules of media freedom," the Russian embassy said.
"It is easy to understand why the publication has met such a lively reaction in Russia. We believe the idea of confiscating media assets and the publication of personal data of the journalists, in the 'best traditions' of infamous Ukrainian 'Mirotvorets' website, should be of interest for the relevant OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] structures. And this is not an isolated incident. Last month, personal data of Channel One Russia journalists was also made public," the embassy reminded.
"The UK Government likes to speak about 'sending messages' to Russia. We take note of these in our relations and will respond in kind. And the British media, meekly following the Government’s line to suppress alternative sources of information, demonstrates a truly regrettable lack of professional solidarity," the Russian embassy concluded.