Russian bailiffs show up at US broadcaster's office

Russian court bailiffs have shown up at U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Moscow Bureau to notify it about the launch of enforcement proceedings over unpaid fines

MOSCOW -- Russian court bailiffs showed up Friday at U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Moscow bureau to notify it about the launch of enforcement proceedings over unpaid fines. RFE/RL denounced the move as a serious escalation in the Russian government's campaign to drive it out of the country. “RFE/RL will continue to fight these desperate attempts by the Kremlin to censor uncomfortable truths,” RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement. “We will not be silenced by these heavy-handed tactics and we will not abandon our Russian audience.” Last year, Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor ordered the media designated as foreign agents, including RFE/RL, to add a lengthy statement to news reports, social media posts and audiovisual materials specifying that the content was created by an outlet “performing the functions of a foreign agent.”