MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has demanded the Polish authorities provide explanations why Russia political analyst and journalist Oleg Bondarenko was banned to enter the European Union, the ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Friday.

"We have no explanation for the Polish side’s actions other than they being an attempt to restrict a Russian civil society representative’s freedom of speech on the territory of EU member states due to political reasons," she said.

"Through diplomatic channels, we demanded the Polish authorities provide additional explanations," she said, adding that the ban was grounded by some sort of "threats to national security."

Bondarenko told TASS on January 14 he had been stopped at the passport control desk upon arrival at Berlin’s Tegel Airport as he had been denied entry to the European Union at Poland’s request. He said he had arrived in Germany at an invitation from Germany’s Left Party to take part in a political event.

Bondarenko is director of the Progressive Policy Fund and contributes to a number of Russian mass media outlets as columnist.