PARIS: France on Thursday warned of possible retaliation against Russia for stripping press accreditation from a French reporter, after Paris branded some Russian journalists seeking to work on its territory as spies.
On Wednesday, Le Monde, France’s newspaper of record, denounced the “disguised expulsion” of its Moscow correspondent Benjamin Quenelle, saying his press card had been “cancelled” by the Russian authorities.
On Thursday, the French foreign ministry urged Russian authorities to reconsider their “unjustified and arbitrary” decision, “which will otherwise call for a response”.
Russia said Quenelle’s press credentials were not renewed in retaliation for France’s refusal to issue press visas to journalists from pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Paris has previously accused the journalists of being “agents of the Russian intelligence services”.
“The Russian argument that this is a reciprocal measure is inadmissible,” the French foreign ministry said.
“France has repeatedly made it clear to the Russian side that it is fully prepared to consider applications from genuine Russian journalists in France. It is always ready to do so,” the ministry added in a statement.
Le Monde’s editorial director Jerome Fenoglio said in a column published in both French and Russian that Moscow’s decision was “without precedent”.
“Even in the tensest moments of the Cold War, Le Monde pursued its work in Moscow and beyond,” he said.
Since launching its invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago Moscow has cracked down on media, throwing domestic reporters and several Western journalists in jail and severely restricting coverage of what it calls its “special military operation”.
In March, 2023 Moscow detained US journalist Evan Gershkovich before sentencing him to 16 years in jail on espionage charges that Washington denounced as trumped-up.
The Wall Street Journal and ex-AFP reporter was freed in August 2024 as part of the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the fall of the Iron Curtain.
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About The Author
I’m JP, a 26-year-old from Odisha, India 🇮🇳 and the founder of newsxbyte.com 📰. I write articles and news on a variety of topics, including business, finance 💼, and exam updates 📚. With a passion for journalism and digital content, I strive to keep my readers informed and engaged with the latest updates and insights.
