Russia Bans Journalists from 'Unfriendly Countries' from International Economic Forum

On Saturday, June 3, the Kremlin announced a ban on journalists from 'unfriendly countries' at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated that Russia has decided not to allow media from unfriendly countries to participate in the St. Petersburg Economic Forum this time. The forum is scheduled to take place from June 14 to 17 in St. Petersburg. For the past two years, Russia has been limiting the activities of these countries in Russia by creating a list of 'unfriendly countries' that has been continuously expanded. However, Western journalists had not faced such a broad ban for covering this forum until now. Reuters reported that the organizers of this international economic forum in Russia, despite initially granting permission for Reuters journalists to attend, revoked this permission on Friday. Russian officials did not respond to Reuters' request for a written explanation regarding this matter. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, established in 1997, attracted significant attention from major investors and Western banks in its early years due to Russia's economic growth. However, in recent years, Chinese and Arab investors have replaced their Western counterparts at this forum. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, relations between Western countries and Russia soured, with the West condemning the invasion and demanding Russia withdraw from occupied areas in Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden stated last month on World Press Freedom Day that the Kremlin is trying to hide the truth by exerting more control over civil society and passing disinformation laws. He remarked that press freedom is not the enemy of the people.