Russia to expel Dutch journalist in reciprocal move

Russia said on Wednesday it will expel a Dutch journalist, describing the step as a response to what it called the Netherlands’ expulsion of a correspondent from Russian state news agency RIA. Officials said the decision involves withdrawing the journalist’s accreditation and cancelling their residence permit.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had taken the decision but did not identify the journalist’s media organisation. She said the measure could be reconsidered if the Dutch government created what she described as “appropriate conditions” for the Russian journalist to work.

The announcement was reported from London on April 1, with writing attributed to Mark Trevelyan and editing by Andrew Heavens. The statement adds to a pattern of reciprocal actions between Russia and Western governments over media access and the treatment of journalists, an area that has become more sensitive since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Only a small number of Western journalists remain in Russia after many left in 2022, when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Officials introduced censorship laws that set prison terms for spreading what authorities define as “false information” about the war, a legal environment that has affected foreign reporting and newsroom operations.

Russia has repeatedly complained about what it says is unfair treatment of its journalists in Western countries. At the same time, it continues to grant accreditation to some journalists from countries it labels “unfriendly,” and expulsions are described as relatively rare.

For governments, media accreditation and residency permissions are practical levers that can be tightened or relaxed quickly, often becoming part of broader diplomatic disputes. For news organisations and correspondents, such steps can disrupt reporting capacity, increase operational uncertainty, and complicate decisions about staffing and risk management in politically sensitive jurisdictions.

The immediate uncertainty is whether the Netherlands will adjust its position regarding the RIA correspondent, and whether Moscow will follow through with the expulsion on the timeline implied by the revocation of accreditation and residence status. Zakharova’s comments left open the possibility of a review, but did not specify criteria or a deadline for any change.