David Satter First U.S. Journalist Expelled from Russia Since 1991
The Russian government has banned David Satter, an American journalist, from Russia. He is the first American journalist banned since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
His expulsion was confirmed on Monday by Radio Free Europe’s president, who said no reason had been given. Satter had been in Russia for the last four months, working as an adviser for Radio Free Europe/Radio Library (RFE/RL). Radio Free Europe/Radio Library is funded by the U.S. Congress.Satter, a Rhodes scholar who has written for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, has also written three non-fiction books on Russia.
Satter’s expulsion was a surprise; in December, according to RFE/RL, Satter’s visa request was approved, and he was to present his approval to the Russian Embassy in Kiev. But when he arrived in Kiev, he was told his presence in Russia was “undesirable,” and his visa request was denied.
“My position is that this ban should be reversed immediately,” Satter protested to The Guardian.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has sent a formal diplomatic protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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