Russia's media regulator investigating if BBC 'complies with law'

Russia’s state media regulator has announced it is to investigate if the BBC’s World News channel and websites comply with the country’s laws – a move it described as a response to British pressure on a Russian TV channel.

Roskomnadzor, the regulator, said it would check rules were not being broken after the UK’s own watchdog Ofcom on Thursday censured the Russian news broadcaster RT for breaching impartiality codes here.

“The results of our check will be announced separately,” a statement said on Friday.

Asked about the investigation, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, said: “Of course you can [describe it as a reaction to RT]. Although, let’s say many of us have had many concerns over a long time about the BBC. About their tendentious, biased and pre-programmed coverage. Of course no one has the right to criticise the media for this. That can only be done by the relevant legal body. This is why it is happening.”

He added: “Various government bodies have raised concerns about specific content, episodes about Russia coverage: about Syria and inside Russia.”

The announcement of the investigation came a day after Ofcom said it was considering imposing sanctions on RT – which is financed by the Russian state – following an investigation into its skewed coverage of the Sergei Skripal poisoning.

The one-time Russian spy and his daughter were targeted with the deadly nerve agent novichok in Salisbury in March. Britain has accused agents working for Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, of committing the crime – an allegation Moscow denies.

Jeremy Wright, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, responded to Ofcom’s decision by saying RT’s mask as an impartial news provider was slipping.

But the channel – formerly known as Russia Today – rejected Ofcom’s findings, and said the watchdog had not paid “due regard” to its broadcasting rights.

Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief, said on Twitter that Ofcom had hinted it planned to strip her channel of its broadcasting licence in Britain.

“I assume they (the Russian regulator) will now look to see if the BBC expresses alternative points of view,” she wrote. “With a microscope.”

Russian state media has criticised the BBC in recent days, accusing it of trying to falsely prove that Moscow was involved in whipping up street protests in France, another charge that Russia has rejected.

There was no immediate comment from either the BBC or Ofcom.