Vladimir Putin. Photo: EPA-EFE/VYACHESLAV PROKOFIEV / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL
Vladimir Putin has insisted that freedom of speech and press freedom are both thriving in Russia in an interview he gave to Mongolian newspaper Onoodor on the eve of a trip to Ulaanbaatar, the transcript of which was published by the Kremlin on Monday.
Putin stressed that while the media in Russia was free, journalists were expected to comply with the law.
“We are well aware of the need for pluralism and openness …. The authorities engage constructively with … mass media outlets, regardless of editorial policy,” Putin said.
Western countries, by contrast, “place various obstacles” in the way of Russian journalists, and banned Russian TV channels and internet resources, Putin said. Calling such action censorship, he said it went against “the democratic principles of freedom of speech”.
“All our press does is present the Russian point of view on current issues in a balanced way. … While the West has gone down the route of blatantly persecuting Russian correspondents to hide from inconvenient facts, from true information,” Putin said.
The Anti War Human Rights Coalition, a group established in January 2023 to support Ukraine and aid Russians escaping from Putin’s regime, started a petition on Sunday urging the Mongolian authorities to arrest Putin when he visits the country on Tuesday.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023 for his alleged involvement in war crimes in Ukraine. However, despite being a member of the ICC and a signatory to the Rome Treaty, both of which oblige Mongolia to act on ICC arrest warrants, the country has reportedly given assurances to Putin that he will not face arrest while on Mongolian territory.
