Russia has accused the West of restricting its media abroad, including bans on some state-backed news outlets.
In response, Russian lawmakers passed a bill last month giving prosecutors powers to shut foreign media bureaus in Moscow if a Western country has been "unfriendly" to Russian media.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova issued a summons Friday to Western press and broadcasters, stating "On Monday, June 6, the heads of the Moscow offices of all American media will be invited to the press center of the Russian Foreign Ministry to explain to them the consequences of their government's hostile line in the media sphere," she added. "We look forward to it."
Since invading Ukraine in February, Russia has cracked down on media coverage of the conflict, introducing 15 year prison sentences for journalists spreading that Moscow terms "fake news" about what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
Ukraine and allies call this "operation" a baseless pretext for a war that has killed thousands, flattened cities, and forced more than 6 million people to flee abroad.
Zakharova demands that Russian broadcasters such as "RT" and "
Radio Sputnik" be given free reign by Western nations to broadcast Moscow's view of the Ukrainian conflict and all other matters. Or else.
"If the work of the Russian media - operators and journalists - is not normalized in the United States, the most stringent measures will inevitably follow," she said.
