Moscow deports ORF correspondent Carola Schneider
Russian Foreign Ministry revoked accreditation without justification
Schneider headed ORF bureau in Moscow for 10 years
The Russian Foreign Ministry has revoked the accreditation of ORF Moscow bureau chief Carola Schneider. Schneider has headed the ORF office in Moscow since 2011 and is now the only remaining correspondent for an Austrian media outlet in Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry gave no reason for the revocation of Schneider's accreditation.
ORF director general Roland Weißmann condemned the decision as "unacceptable" and said that Schneider had always reported "objectively and critically" from Russia.
Schneider is the latest in a series of foreign journalists to be expelled from Russia in recent months. In April, the Russian Foreign Ministry expelled a BBC correspondent and a CNN correspondent, and in May, it expelled a correspondent for the German newspaper Die Welt.
The expulsions are part of a broader crackdown on the media in Russia. In recent years, the Russian government has passed a number of laws that restrict freedom of the press, and it has also increased its pressure on independent media outlets.
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