On 18 August 2023, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it had placed 14 top British media executives and journalists on a black list banning them entry to Russia. Authorities also blacklisted UK government ministers Lucy Fraser and Annabel Goldie, as well as several British public relations and military intelligence companies, accusing them of holding an anti-Russian stance.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs named the sanctioned journalists and media executives by their surnames and initials, specifying that they were affiliated with the BBC, The Guardian and The Telegraph. They were accused of participating in what was termed as the “United Kingdom’s guidance of the Zelensky regime in information [and] propaganda [through acting as] Russophobia-injected employees and correspondents of British media outlets”, according to the official statement published by the Ministry.
At the BBC, the sanctioned figures were, in all likeliness, BBC News CEO Deborah Turness, disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring, BBC News Analysis Editor Ros Atkins, data and investigative journalist Daniele Palumbo and BBC Local director of production Jason Horton. Among The Guardian’s collaborators, Russia blacklisted the media group’s chair Charles Gurassa, chief financial and operating officer Keith Underwood, the media group’s director Emily Bell, world affairs editor Julian Borger and chief reporter Daniel Boffey. At The Telegraph, authorities sanctioned journalist and Ukraine presenter David Knowles, chief people officer Mark Musgrave, assistant comment editor Francis Dearnley and journalist Colin Freeman.