The EU had signalled the transfer earlier this week. (Representational)

London:

The European Union mentioned on Friday it was suspending the distribution of 4 Russia-linked media retailers within the EU, regardless of a warning from Moscow this week that any such transfer would draw swift retaliation.

The ban applies to Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti information company and Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspapers, on the grounds that they “have been important and instrumental in bringing ahead and supporting Russia’s struggle of aggression in opposition to Ukraine”, the European Council mentioned in an announcement.

The measure is a part of a deliberate 14th package deal of sanctions in opposition to Russia over its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bloc has beforehand imposed sanctions on Russian state-owned media Russia At the moment and Sputnik.

The EU had signalled the transfer earlier this week, prompting Russian International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to warn: “We’ll reply with lightning velocity and intensely painfully for the Westerners.” It was not clear how Moscow would hit again.

In an interview with Izvestia, the pinnacle of the worldwide division of the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) known as the EU ban “illegal” and mentioned the matter ought to have been determined by a court docket.

Timur Shafir mentioned the ban would stop Russian-speakers dwelling in components of Europe as soon as below Soviet management from accessing what he known as “various data” on world occasions.

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