Ukraine bans Russian Zvezda TV channel's correspondents from entering Ukraine for three years
Speaker of the Security Service of Ukraine Elena Gitlyanskaya said in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine that the employees of the Russian Defense Ministry TV channel Zvezda, who entered the territory of Ukraine on December 12, have been banned from entering the country for three years.
"The crew of the Zvezda TV channel has been banned from entering Ukraine for three years for carrying out the professional activity for the TV channel, that is included in our sanctions list," said Gitlyanskaya.
According to her, the crew of Zvezda TV Channel has already left the territory of Ukraine.
Gitlyanskaya added that the channel's employees entered Ukraine as ordinary citizens and were not accredited to work as journalists.
On December 12, propagandists of Zvezda TV channel broadcasted a report from the Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) in Kyiv. "During a press conference [in Paris] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited journalists to visit Ukraine. We decided to check whether he keeps his promises, whether we will pass through the border," they said.
Journalists also said that despite the ban on entry, they came to Ukraine before, under false reasons. The journalists had said previously that they were going to a concert, on a date or that a sick grandmother was waiting for their visit.
Since December 13, Ukrainian border guards have banned three Russian NTV TV journalists from entering the country.