Russian journalists being banned entry to Ukraine to cover presidential election

Russian journalists being banned entry to Ukraine to cover presidential election (RT, May 24, 2014):

A range of Russian news journalists from different outlets, including RT’s Spanish and Arabic news crews, accredited to cover the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine on May 25, were denied entry to the country without explanation.

RT Spanish cameraman Aleksandr Serichenko and his assistant, Andrey Peleshok, were refused entry at Odessa Airport, southern Ukraine. The journalists have accreditation from Ukraine’s Central Election Commission.

“Without explaining the reason for refusal, the members of [Ukrainian] border service forced the RT crew to buy return tickets at their own expense,” said the statement from RT’s press service.

This is not the first time RT journalists have been denied entry to Ukraine. On May 20, journalists from RT Arabic were also refused entry by Ukrainian border police after arriving in Kiev to cover the election. Like the Spanish news crew, journalists from RT Arabic were also accredited by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission.

RT correspondent Anna Knishenko, and her colleagues Elderra Khaled and Konstantin Bolshakov arrived from Moscow in Kiev’s Borispol International Airport.

“At the border control they immediately took our passports. An hour later, we – one by one – were invited to a special room for an interview,” RT’s Anna Knishenko said at the time.

Following individual interviews, border guards gave the journalists papers in Ukrainian and said that they were denied entry since they could not properly explain the purpose of their visit.

On Friday, a correspondent of Echo of Moscow radio station, Ilya Azar, said on his Twitter that he was also denied entrance to Ukraine. He added that he was refused because he “couldn’t confirm the purpose of his trip.”

4 thoughts on “Russian journalists being banned entry to Ukraine to cover presidential election”

  1. Another fool mistake by the US government. Suppressing the press in the US has become easy because all media is controlled by a few corporations. Overseas, it is far more difficult.
    The more they suppress, the less the world will believe the results. Anyone with half a brain understands the US is a very unpopular presence in the area, and it needs to get out and go home.

    Reply
  2. Marilyn, our press, and most EU countries’ press MUST follow Gov directives.
    Otherwise they are not given ‘exclusives’ (ie SPECIAL LIES)
    We are all now victims of simple bias at best and downright lies at worst.
    We have just had a national election for Local Councillors & EU Representation.
    Like US, we are dominated by two major parties & a wedge party.
    Now, another party has arisen, but, if you read the MSM, you will only see avoidance and ridicule.
    It is unrepresentative of the people….just like yours.

    Reply
  3. To Squodgy: I am sorry the UK is down to two parties, that is the death keel of representative government. I thought you had a parliamentary system allowing more voices to be heard………if you have lost it, I am really sorry. Your way of governing has lasted many hundreds of years because it allowed a parliamentary system……giving room to more voices.
    On Fukushima poisons…..Los Angeles beaches have long attracted billions of dollars a year in tourists spending to visit them….I have written what has happened to our beaches thanks to the goddamn Japanese……litter and dead sea animals everywhere. Just found this article on enenew.org.
    We are seeing types of sea life we never knew existed. Some of them put the Hollywood monsters to shame, they are so ugly and prehistoric…….but the death of the Pacific is forcing them to come ashore to die.
    Vulture animals that normally kill dead animals won’t touch these, they evidently can smell or taste the difference, they won’t touch those dead from radioactive poisons. As a result, they remain on our beaches.
    We have no services in place to remove them. No services that have been taught how to deal with or dispose of radioactive creatures………it is a nightmare just beginning.
    I am posting it here, I hope our friend at Infinite Unknown picks it up.
    Best,
    Marilyn

    http://enenews.com/tv-its-like-a-horror-show-along-los-angeles-coast-unusual-number-of-marine-animals-have-started-dying-i-wonder-if-somethings-in-the-water-thats-killing-these-animals

    Reply

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