RT France account blocked in France

The bank account of the RT France TV channel was blocked in France at the request of the country's Ministry of Economy and Finance, Le Monde newspaper reports.

The decision was made as part of the ninth package of anti-Russian restrictions of the European Union, introduced in December. VGTRK, National Media Group and ANO TV-Novosti (RT management company) fell under blocking sanctions . The restrictions also extended to the French branch of the TV channel.

The president and editor-in-chief of RT France, Ksenia Fedorova, received a message from the bank, which said that all funds on the channel's account were frozen, Le Monde writes, citing an internal letter from the company. She stated that it was becoming "impossible" for the channel to "continue under the same conditions as before." Information about the freezing of the account was confirmed to the newspaper by an unnamed representative of RT France and the French Ministry of Economy.

In early March last year, Fedorova reported on the blocking of the personal payroll accounts of several TV channel employees. “This is real discrimination based on nationality. France breaks another bottom,” she wrote in her TELEGRAM channel.

Shortly before this, the EU authorities decided to ban the broadcasting of RUSSIA Today, Sputnik and their subsidiaries, including RT France. The HEAD of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that these media outlets are the “Kremlin media machine” and the ban will stop them from spreading “toxic and harmful disinformation” in Europe.