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The German government has decided to close Russia’s Channel One office in the country, the broadcaster has said.
Correspondent Ivan Blagoy and cameraman Dmitry Volkov were told to depart from Berlin in early December, Channel One announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The German authorities explained the move by citing the country’s security policy, the broadcaster added.
Channel One described the expulsion of its staff as “a punishment for truth and professionalism.” It said Blagoy and Volkov “have made powerful enemies for themselves” by reporting on the actual events in Ukraine, investigating the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, and looking into the questionable dealings of Germany’s elites.
The TV station said the German authorities informed it of the closure of its office in Berlin on Tuesday.
According to Blagoy, the move followed a report by Channel One on the detention of German citizen Nikolay Gaiduk by the Russian security services. Gaiduk was arrested on suspicion of being recruited by the Ukrainian intelligence services to smuggle improvised explosive devices into the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and sabotage gas facilities there.
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