Russia announced on Thursday that it has revoked the accreditation of Le Monde’s correspondent in Moscow, citing France’s refusal to grant a visa to a Russian journalist. This marks the first time since the 1950s that the publication will not have a correspondent based in the Russian capital.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that the decision was a retaliatory action following multiple warnings to Paris regarding the visa issue.
Le Monde condemned what it described as the “covert expulsion of our journalist.”
Jérôme Fenoglio, the director of Le Monde, emphasized in an article that this is the first instance since 1957 that the newspaper is barred from having a correspondent in Moscow. He underscored the critical need for reliable reporting from Russia and noted that France’s stance on Russian journalists being denied visas is based on the belief that they may be affiliated with Russian intelligence.
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