Russia’s Crackdown on Independent Journalism: ORF Reporter Schneider Forced to Leave Moscow Office

Carola Schneider, the head of ORF-Correspondent offices in Moscow, has been forced to leave the country as the Russian Foreign Ministry has revoked her accreditation. This move comes after the recent expulsion of Maria Knips-Witting and means there are currently no ORF journalists remaining in Russia. The ORF has condemned this decision as an “arbitrary act against independent reporting,” while the Austrian Foreign Ministry has called it “unprecedented” and deemed it “unjustified and unacceptable.” The Russian Federation’s embassy has been notified of the protest against this action.

Schneider, who is originally from Vorarlberg, has been reporting from the Moscow office for many years and has always followed all laws. She will continue reporting on Russia from the foreign editorial office in Vienna, like Knips-Witting, while the ORF seeks new accreditations. This development follows a day earlier when Russia made the ORF inaccessible from within its borders in response to the EU banning four Russian propaganda media outlets. Moscow also blocked access to 81 EU media outlets, including eur24, due to these sanctions. Additionally, a trial against journalist Evan Gershkovich from The Wall Street Journal began on Wednesday with him being imprisoned for 15 months on suspicion of espionage.

In Russia, critical media outlets are often prohibited and thousands of websites are blocked on the Internet. To bypass these restrictions, individuals can use a VPN server to access these sites. Numerous journalists have also been imprisoned in Russia for accusations of discrediting the Russian army. The current actions taken by Russia towards independent journalism only serve to further restrict free speech and press freedom within its borders.