MOSCOW, September 6. / TASS /. German politicians, security officials and the media have colluded against the Russian press, yet on the contrary, Berlin deliberately remains tight-lipped on its attempts to meddle in Moscow’s internal affairs, Spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on Monday.
Zakharova pointed to a recent statement made by Spokesman for German Union of Journalists Hendrik Zerner, according to which "those who work for RT (Russia Today TV channel) have parted company with critical and independent journalism" and were involved in destabilizing democracy.
"I would go as far as saying it’s a conspiracy by German security officials, politicians and media holdings against RT. After all, the German media and Union of Journalists have already resorted to closing bank accounts, calls for a refusal to issue a satellite broadcasting licenses, pressure on neighboring states to not grant a license and harassment as methods of influence," the Russian diplomat wrote on her Telegram channel.
Furthermore, Zakharova pointed out that Germany’s Deutsche Welle media outlet, during the unauthorized rallies in Russia, urged the local population to participate in these illicit activities. "These facts constitute concrete proof of the German state channel’s attempts to influence Russia’s internal affairs and public opinion as opposed to the ephemeral demagogy of German representatives on RT," according to the Russian diplomat. "Free competition in the West has become almost forbidden. We see it in sports, economics, geopolitics, and now journalism," Zakharova concluded.