In A Tit-For-Tat Move, Russia To Ban German Broadcaster's Bureau

The German government said the move was unacceptable and had "no basis of comparison whatsoever" with Berlin's ruling on RT.

Russia said Thursday it is closing the Moscow bureau of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and revoking staff accreditations in Russia, in response to Berlin's ban on the German-language channel of Russian state TV network RT.

Deutsche Welle called the decision "absurd" and a "complete overreaction".

The German government said the move was unacceptable and had "no basis of comparison whatsoever" with Berlin's ruling on RT.

"I urgently appeal to the Russian side not to abuse RT's licensing problems for a political reaction," Germany's Culture Minister Claudia Roth said.