Pushkov says U.S. media have lost independence of state
MOSCOW. Aug 6 (Interfax) - Alexei Pushkov, the head of the State Duma committee on international affairs, has called the U.S. media that have refused to meet with the Ukrainian troops who have gone over to the Russian territory "departments of the Department of State."
"The U.S. media are dead. They are now departments of the Department of State. Not a single U.S. journalist has gone to the Rostov region to meet with the Ukrainian troops who have left for Russia!" Pushkov said on Twitter on Wednesday.
Maria Zakharova, deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's information and press department, earlier said on Facebook that the Russian Foreign Ministry had invited a group of foreign journalists to the Rostov region to meet with the Ukrainian military who have gone over to the Russian territory.
"When I received a list of the journalists who had confirmed their participation in the trip, I had a cultural shock. There was not a single journalist from a U.S. media, with the exception of
Bloomberg!!!" Zakharova said.
"Responding to my silent question, my colleagues told me the U.S. journalists had refused to participate for various technical reasons," the diplomat said.
Zakharova said among the foreign journalists who have refused to go to the Rostov region are journalists from CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor.
A total of 438 Ukrainian troops asked officials from the Russian Federal Security Service's Border Guard Department to give them refuge in the early hours of August 4. The Ukrainian troops crossed the Russian border through a special humanitarian corridor and were accommodated in a temporary camp for refugees.
A total of 195 of the 438 troops left for Ukraine later on Monday.
A total of 243 guests from Ukraine are currently in the field camp, which was made especially for the Ukrainian troops who have entered the Russian territory.
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