Story perspectives

Russia Labels Deutsche Welle 'Undesirable,' Sparks Press Freedom Outcry

12/16/2025

Summary

Story summary

Deutsche Welle (DW) was designated an "undesirable organization" by Russia's Ministry of Justice, prohibiting cooperation.
Vasily Piskarev, a Russian official, accused DW of anti-Russian propaganda.
Barbara Massing, Deutsche Welle Director General, says the Russian-language service reaches 10 million weekly viewers.
The German government condemned the move, saying press freedom is severely compromised in Russia.
Germany's Bundestag experienced a significant email outage attributed to a Russian cyberattack.

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Story summary

Deutsche Welle (DW) was designated an "undesirable organization" by Russia's Ministry of Justice, prohibiting cooperation.
Vasily Piskarev, a Russian official, accused DW of anti-Russian propaganda.
Barbara Massing, Deutsche Welle Director General, says the Russian-language service reaches 10 million weekly viewers.
The German government condemned the move, saying press freedom is severely compromised in Russia.
Germany's Bundestag experienced a significant email outage attributed to a Russian cyberattack.