MOSCOW: Moscow has given BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford until the end of the month to leave Russia in response to Britain’s treatment of Russian journalists working there, state TV reported.
The move comes at a time of simmering tensions between Moscow and the West and a crackdown on opposition groups and independent media in Russia.
“It’s a milestone expulsion,” a presenter of state news channel Rossiya 24 said late Thursday evening.
Without identifying its source, Rossiya 24 said that Sarah Rainsford, a veteran reporter and a BBC correspondent in Moscow, would not have her visa extended when it expires at the end of August.
The presenter said the measures were symmetrical to the alleged pressure Russian media face in the United Kingdom.
Although Moscow frequently criticises Western media for their reporting on Russia, it rarely expels journalists.
The BBC press office said Friday that it was “not commenting on this story”.
The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
Its spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, however, said on her Telegram channel on Friday that it was up to the British broadcaster to speak first. “Don’t be shy,” she wrote.
“Everything was explained in detail to BBC representatives who recently visited the foreign ministry. They should have something to say.”
Last week, the foreign ministry said it had banned several unnamed British nationals from the country over their “involvement in anti-Russian activities”. It was not clear whether Rainsford was on the list.
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