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“The expulsion of Sarah Rainsford is a direct attack on media freedom, which we condemn without reservation,” the BBC said.
“Sarah is an exceptional and courageous journalist,” he added.
Davie stressed that Rainsford was publishing “independent and comprehensive reports on Russia and the former Soviet Union.”
Russian state television reported the day before that Moscow had told BBC correspondent Rainsford to leave Russia at the end of the month over Britain’s treatment of Russian journalists working there.
The move was marked by tensions between Moscow and the West and the ongoing crackdown on opposition groups and independent media in Russia.
“This is a very important expulsion,” the host of state news channel Rossija 24 said on Thursday night.
The television, citing unidentified sources, said that Rainsford, a veteran reporter and BBC correspondent in Moscow, would not have his visa expired by the end of August.
According to Rossiya 24, the decision was made in response to the pressure it said was being faced by the Russian media in the UK.
Although Moscow often criticizes Western media for its coverage of events in Russia, journalists are rarely expelled from the country.
In 2019, British media regulator Ofcom announced that it had allocated $ 200,000 to the Kremlin-funded Russian television RT. a fine of 225,000 pounds sterling at the then rate) for non-compliance with broadcasting regulations.
According to Ofcom, television failed to exercise due impartiality in covering the 2018 incident in an attempt to poison former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England, and the conflict in Syria.
In response, Russia’s communications market regulator has launched an investigation into the BBC for its reports of unrest in Syria.
After the attempted assassination of former double agent S. Skripalis with the nerve paralyzing substance “Noviciok”, 23 Russian diplomats were expelled from the UK, and Moscow responded with the same.
Britain says Russian agents are responsible for the attack, Moscow denies it.
London’s relations with Moscow have been strained since 2006, with accusations that Russia was responsible for the murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who had been poisoned with a radioactive polonium isotope. Moscow also denies having contributed in any way to this attack.
Although Moscow often criticizes Western media for its coverage of events in Russia, journalists are rarely expelled from the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has yet to respond to AFP’s request to expel the British journalist.
However, Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on her channel on the Telegram platform on Friday that the British broadcaster should be the first to comment.
“Don’t be shy,” he wrote. – Everything was explained in detail to the BBC representatives who recently visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They should have something to say. “
Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had banned several unidentified British citizens from entering the country for “engaging in anti-Russian activities.”
It is unclear if S. Rainsford’s name is on this list.
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