According to him, RT and Sputnik were included in the list of foreign agents in the United States five years before the start of the Russian special operation.
The Minister called it part of the information war, which is part of the hybrid war that is now unfolding "in full".
He recalled the recent statement by the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, that the European authorities, by banning the work of the Russian media, do not attack freedom of speech, but "protect it."
“I leave it up to you.
I am convinced that you are well acquainted with the principles of free journalism, well acquainted with what RT and Sputnik are doing.
If you see gross violations of the principles of freedom of speech in their activities, then it would be interesting to find out such examples today, ”said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov stressed that the Russian side sees in the actions of the West a classic intolerance towards pluralism of opinions, which is one of the main values of classical liberalism.
“From a legal point of view, such a line to abolish the Russian-language media grossly violates the obligations that all Western countries have undertaken within the OSCE to ensure freedom of the media and equal access to information for the population of all OSCE countries,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
The Council of the EU has previously initiated the process of suspending the broadcasting licenses of the Russian TV channels NTV, REN TV, Rossiya 1 and Channel One.
In addition, the EU, as part of the ninth package of restrictions, imposed sanctions on the autonomous non-profit organization TV-Novosti.
The head of the European Federation of Journalists, Ricardo Gutierrez, said the ban on RT and Sputnik "created a dangerous precedent" and called it ineffective.