Ukraine is resorting to "Soviet methods" to deal with unfavorable media coverage, Bild deputy editor-in-chief Paul Ronzheimer has claimed. He criticized Kiev's recent attack on the New York Times as unjustifiable.
Contradicting claims by the Ukrainian authorities and other Western media, the US newspaper suggested earlier this week that a Ukrainian missile, rather than a Russian one, had killed at least 15 civilians at a market in Donbass earlier this month.
Those claims drew condemnation from Ukrainian officials, including senior presidential aide Mikhail Podoliak, who accused the NYT of promoting "conspiracy theories."
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Ronzheimer described Kiev's reaction to the report as 'absolutely unacceptable':
"That the government and military are now accusing NYT reporters of [spreading] 'propaganda' and 'fake[s],' more or less openly threatening with the revocation of accreditation because they make notes and analyze what is what, reminds [me] of Soviet methods and should have no place in Ukraine. Gagging the media has nothing to do with European or Western standards that Ukraine otherwise prides itself on."He called for Kiev to respect the freedom of the press, even if the authorities are uncomfortable with what is reported.
Comment: The pots calling the kettles black? The New York Times, a MSM vehicle, follows dictates. There is a particular trajectory for this release of information.
See also: Ukraine cheerleader NYT actually exposes Zelensky lie about Donbass missile strike