Reuters has corrected a story it published on April 18 saying Venezuela is funneling cash flow from oil sales through Russian state energy giant Rosneft to evade U.S. sanctions after Rosneft threatened to ban the international news agency from operating in Russia.
The story, datelined Mexico City, said Reuters had uncovered a scheme whereby Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA had started passing invoices from its oil sales to Rosneft.
An April 23 correction said Reuters “could not determine payments were made under the proposed arrangement.” It also removed a reference to Evrofinance Mosnarbank, a Russian commercial bank, and clarified that “experts see no violation of sanctions.”
Rosneft released a statement a few hours after the original story was published saying that it considered it necessary to turn to law enforcement agencies to stop Reuters’ activities in Russia.
Rosneft accused the news agency of “systematically creating and disseminating disinformation, legalizing rumors in the interests of customers and inventing information to damage the Russian economy, companies and the state.”
The statement came several months after Russia’s media regulator launched an investigation into the BBC, a move it described as a response to British pressure on the Kremlin-funded RT broadcaster.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
