German couple detained for ‘illegal’ RT broadcasts
A German individual and his Ukrainian spouse have been accused of illegally distributing RT and other Russian channels online, in violation of EU sanctions. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
A German man and his Ukrainian wife have been arrested by authorities for allegedly providing access to banned Russian channels, including RTN, via the internet, thereby violating EU sanctions.
In March 2022, the European Union implemented comprehensive bans on Russian media, labeling them as a threat to democracy amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Consequently, many US-based social media platforms, like YouTube, also enforced these bans globally.
According to a statement from the German customs service on Friday, “The suspects are a 37-year-old German and his 42-year-old wife of Ukrainian nationality.” They are accused of offering several of these sanctioned Russian TV channels through an IP-TV service since early 2022.
The couple's apartment in Karlsruhe was raided by police on Thursday, as per the customs statement, which reported the discovery of “extensive technical equipment, written evidence and 40,000 euros in cash,” all of which were confiscated.
The German customs service noted that the couple’s service “presumably included well-known channels such as ‘Rossiya 1’ and ‘Russia Today’.”
The District Court in Karlsruhe, situated in the Baden-Wurttemberg region near the French border, has issued an asset seizure order for approximately €120,000 in “illegal income” derived from their alleged activities.
The suspects have not been publicly identified. If found guilty, they could face a minimum prison sentence of one year under the Foreign Trade Act. The customs inspectorate in Stuttgart continues to investigate the case and may pursue additional charges.
Earlier this month, the US government also imposed sanctions on RT, accusing the channel of acting as a "de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence." US State Department official Jamie Rubin attributed the fact that much of the world has not aligned with Ukraine as Washington had anticipated to RT's reporting.
In response to the sanctions, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan remarked, “We find ways to bypass these sanctions. This is sort of a game of cat and mouse. And it will continue.”
Moreover, a message projected on the facade of the US embassy in Moscow declared, “We’re not going anywhere,” according to RTN.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
In March 2022, the European Union implemented comprehensive bans on Russian media, labeling them as a threat to democracy amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Consequently, many US-based social media platforms, like YouTube, also enforced these bans globally.
According to a statement from the German customs service on Friday, “The suspects are a 37-year-old German and his 42-year-old wife of Ukrainian nationality.” They are accused of offering several of these sanctioned Russian TV channels through an IP-TV service since early 2022.
The couple's apartment in Karlsruhe was raided by police on Thursday, as per the customs statement, which reported the discovery of “extensive technical equipment, written evidence and 40,000 euros in cash,” all of which were confiscated.
The German customs service noted that the couple’s service “presumably included well-known channels such as ‘Rossiya 1’ and ‘Russia Today’.”
The District Court in Karlsruhe, situated in the Baden-Wurttemberg region near the French border, has issued an asset seizure order for approximately €120,000 in “illegal income” derived from their alleged activities.
The suspects have not been publicly identified. If found guilty, they could face a minimum prison sentence of one year under the Foreign Trade Act. The customs inspectorate in Stuttgart continues to investigate the case and may pursue additional charges.
Earlier this month, the US government also imposed sanctions on RT, accusing the channel of acting as a "de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence." US State Department official Jamie Rubin attributed the fact that much of the world has not aligned with Ukraine as Washington had anticipated to RT's reporting.
In response to the sanctions, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan remarked, “We find ways to bypass these sanctions. This is sort of a game of cat and mouse. And it will continue.”
Moreover, a message projected on the facade of the US embassy in Moscow declared, “We’re not going anywhere,” according to RTN.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
