Russia has imposed a ban on 81 media outlets from European Union countries as a response to the EU's decision to restrict several Russian state media channels last month. The EU had previously prohibited four Russian media outlets from broadcasting in May over accusations of propagating false information about the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs justified its actions by accusing the banned outlets of consistently disseminating misleading information regarding Russia's activities in Ukraine. According to a statement from the Russian side, warnings had been issued at various levels regarding the biased treatment of Russian media by the EU, with the ban being described as a proportionate response to the situation. The banned media organizations hail from 25 European nations and encompass major players such as Politico, with French outlets bearing the brunt of the restrictions. Notable affected entities include Agence France-Presse (AFP), Le Monde, and Liberation newspapers. Other prominent outlets facing bans include Der Spiegel from Germany, El Pais and El Mundo from Spain, Yle from Finland, RTE from Ireland, and RAI television and la Repubblica from Italy. Moscow expressed readiness to lift the ban on EU outlets if restrictions on Russian media within the EU are lifted in return. In a related development, the EU had labeled Voice of Europe, the RIA news agency, and Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspapers as Kremlin-affiliated propaganda networks, revoking their broadcasting rights across the bloc. Vyacheslav Volodin, a key ally of President Vladimir Putin, criticized the EU's actions, asserting that the West's disregard for alternative viewpoints and suppression of freedom of speech was evident despite its public proclamations to the contrary.