The Russian public prosecutor's office has classified the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) as an "undesirable organization." Deutsche Welle announced this on Sunday, citing Russian media reports. The Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, welcomed the decision. The decision to classify an organization as such is made by the Russian Prosecutor General or his representatives. However, DW has not yet received an official statement from the authorities. 

The move shows "how little the regime values ​​press freedom and how much it fears independent information," said DW Director General Barbara Massing. However, the broadcaster will not be deterred and will continue to provide media content for users in Russia – circumventing censorship.

Distributing content from Deutsche Welle is now a criminal offense.

Anyone collaborating with "undesirable organizations" in Russia is committing a crime and faces heavy fines, or in extreme cases, imprisonment, Deutsche Welle reported. Even disseminating content from media outlets classified as undesirable organizations is considered a crime – for example, sharing journalistic articles on social media.

The ban on cooperation also applies to Russian citizens outside of Russian territory. Therefore, DW's Russian employees are directly affected. DW has not been permitted to operate in Russia for years anyway.

"Despite censorship and blocking of our services by the Russian government, DW's Russian-language service reaches more people today than ever before," said the director general. "We will continue to report independently – on the war of aggression against Ukraine and other topics about which there is hardly any information available in Russia, so that people can form their own opinions."

Since March 2022, DW has been considered a "foreign agent" in Russia. Russia classifies individuals, media outlets, and organizations as such if they receive foreign funding. Previously, DW was banned from broadcasting; its Moscow studio was forced to relocate, and its website was blocked in Russia. According to the broadcaster, the designation as an "undesirable organization" now represents a further escalation of these measures.