MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Wednesday warned the European Union that if the bloc imposed restrictions on Russian media then Western reporters in Russia would feel a swift, harsh and painful response from the Russian state.
European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said that the EU would sanction Voice of Europe, a website accused of spreading pro-Russian disinformation, along with Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Ria Novosti and Izvestia, Bloomberg reported on May 6.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Western correspondents in Moscow would feel response if the European Union took action against Russian media.
“If these measures are taken against the Russian media, Russian journalists, then, despite the fact that Western correspondents will not want to, they will also have to feel our retaliatory measures,” Zakharova said.
“They felt our love before, but now they will have to feel the response,” Zakharova said. “We will respond with lightning speed and extremely painfully for the Westeners.”
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
