German newspaper calls accusations of Ukraine's ambassador of distorting reality about war "intimidation"

The editorial board and publishers of the Berliner Zeitung newspaper which has a pro-Russian owner have strongly protested against criticism from Ukraine's Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev, who accused the newspaper of distorting the reality of Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Welt

Quote: "We are surprised by the bad post, as there was no direct complaint from the ambassador to the Berliner Zeitung before this post on X. We expect the Ukrainian ambassador to respect freedom of the press in a European democracy."

Details: It was reported that the ambassador supposedly reprimanded the newspaper's editorial board on Tuesday by posting on X.

The editor-in-chief and publisher said that they strongly opposed personal slander against individual colleagues. "We regard the absolutely groundless attacks on named editors and authors as an attempt to intimidate, and therefore as an encroachment on freedom of the press," the statement said.

In the post, Makeiev criticised, among other things, the fact that the Berliner Zeitung became an employer for former employees of Russian state-owned media outlets after the start of Russia's war against Ukraine. Makeiev also noted that the newspaper regularly tags him in its posts with articles that even the Russian embassy likes to distribute, as the reality and truth about Russia's aggressive war is really distorted there.

For reference: Since 2019, the Berliner Zeitung and Berliner Verlag have been owned by the entrepreneurial couple Holger and Silke Friedrich. Holger Friedrich is often said to be close to pro-Russian circles. In particular, in February 2023, he signed the "Manifesto for Peace" by Sahra Wagenknecht and Alice Schwarzer, which opposed the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

Background: Sarah Wagenknecht, the co-chair of the newly formed political force in Germany, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW), once again called on the German government to negotiate with Russia to stop the war in Ukraine at the congress of this formation on 27 January.

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