The United Kingdom has revoked the licence of the Russian state-controlled news channel Russia Today UK, banning its broadcasting activities due to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. 

On Friday, the UK media regulator Ofcom said the news channel had been funded by Moscow and questioned if the news channel was impartial in its reporting. 

 “We consider the volume and potentially serious nature of the issues raised within such a short period to be of great concern – especially given RT’s compliance history, which has seen the channel fined £200,000 for previous due impartiality breaches,” Ofcom said in a statement. “In this context, we launched a separate investigation to determine whether ANO TV Novosti is fit and proper to retain its licence to broadcast.”

RT’s deputy editor-in-chief, Anna Belkina, told Reuters that the UK’s decision to suspend its licence has “robbed” the British public of access to information.

“Ofcom has shown the UK public, and the regulatory community internationally, that, despite a well-constructed facade of independence, it is nothing more than a tool of government, bending to its media-suppressing will,” Ms Belkina said. 

Ofcom also added that the sanction followed Russian laws that criminalised independent journalism concerning the invasion of Ukraine, making it “impossible” for RT to comply with its broadcasting code.