Russian FM praises Fox News coverage of Ukraine invasion

Sergey Lavrov praised Tucker Carlson, who has criticised Western support for Ukraine - calling it 'the largest flashmob in American history'.

World

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

19 March, 2022

Sergey Lavrov has been a long-term close personal ally of Vladimir Putin [Getty]

Russia's foreign minister has lauded Fox News' coverage of the invasion of Ukraine as "an alternative point of view" rather than "information terrorism", in a lengthy interview with Russian state-controlled RT network.

Speaking in English, Sergey Lavrov described Russia as "a very very small player in the international information war", saying that "world information is dominated by media belonging to the Americans and the Brits", as he gave long, uninterrupted answers to the interviewer.

The minister, who is a close personal ally of President Vladimir Putin, also accused the United States of "using Tiktok to brainwash kids for the rest of their lives".

Sergei Lavrov elogia a Fox News como a cobertura correta sobre a guerra. pic.twitter.com/TH5KD6le0n
— Lúcia Guimarães (@luciaguimaraes) March 19, 2022

"This is information terrorism, no doubt about this," he went on to say, attacking Western coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"If you want information competition among media outlets, then there must be some rules," said Lavrov.

Conditions for freedom of expression inside Russia have continued their rapid downward spiral since the invasion of Ukraine, with the few remaining independent outlets facing the choice between censorship or closure.

While Lavrov has accused of Western media outlets of provoking an information war, Russia was implicated in the circulation of 'deepfake' material that appeared to show President Volodymyr Zelensky calling his troops to surrender.

UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom on Friday revoked the licence of Russia's state-funded television channel RT, in the latest international repercussion for Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.

The move follows a similar ban imposed by the European Union and RT's operations in the United States shutting down earlier this month, as Western nations seek to punish and isolate Russia for its actions.

Fox News has been accused of providing "biased reporting" in favour of conservative political positions, the Republican Party and former US President Donald Trump.