Russian state media outlets Russia Today (RT), Sputnik and Rossiya 1 are not officially registered or present in Montenegro, but some of their content may still appear on certain digital channels and global communication platforms, such as Telegram.
This was stated by the Ministry of Culture and Media to the news agency, responding to the question of whether the allegations from the new State Department report - that the authorities in Montenegro have not fully implemented the decision to ban the broadcasting of Russian state media, including Russia Today, Sputnik and Rossiya 1, are true, "because these banned electronic media platforms remain available."
In April 2022, Montenegro joined the European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, banning several RT and Sputnik services from broadcasting. The government expanded the list in June last year, now including the channels Rossiya 1, Rossiya 24, Rossiya RTR, the newspaper New Eastern Outlook, the strategic analysis group Katehon...
"Regarding the allegations in the State Department report, we would like to emphasize that the electronic media platforms Russia Today, Sputnik and Rossiya 1 are not officially registered or present in Montenegro. Their broadcasting and distribution within the framework of audiovisual media services are prohibited, and measures are being implemented in this segment," the Ministry said.
However, as they stated, certain content originating from the aforementioned media may still appear on certain digital channels and global communication platforms, such as the Telegram application, which is headquartered outside the EU and which, according to information from that community, continuously refuses to cooperate with the regulatory and supervisory authorities of the member states.
Telegram is headquartered in Dubai, and the company's founder Pavel Durov He holds citizenship of several countries, including Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and France.
The Ministry assesses that this is a problem faced by all European countries, because, they explain, these are platforms that operate outside formal regulatory frameworks and that national institutions cannot directly influence.
"When it comes to implementing banning measures at the level of Montenegro, the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (AMU) has jurisdiction in the field of audiovisual media services, while distribution via global internet platforms exceeds domestic regulatory capacities. This is precisely why joint action with EU institutions and international organizations is crucial in order to improve mechanisms for restricting access to content that is subject to sanctions," the Ministry said.
"Vijesti" expects answers from AMU on questions about whether certain content from banned Russian media appears on some cable televisions in Montenegro and other digital channels, and what they will do to ensure that the ban on Russian media is fully respected.
Three measures due to rebroadcasting of the Informer TV program
In the AMU's Work Report for last year, it was stated that in connection with the implementation of restrictive measures against Russia, the agency conducted a total of six procedures, five of which related to the work of cable operators.
Based on these procedures, the document states, three measures were imposed to temporarily restrict the rebroadcasting of the Informer TV program, whose broadcaster is the company "Insajder Team" Belgrade from Serbia, which is available through the services of the company M:tel from Podgorica (cable operator M:tel and satellite m:SAT).
“The measures were imposed due to the broadcasting of Russia Today and/or Sputnik 89 content,” the report stated.
As explained, by broadcasting the disputed program content, the broadcaster enabled the rebroadcasting of content from RT and Sputnik, or persons affiliated with them, while the cable operator enabled the distribution of such content on the territory of Montenegro.
"The cable operator was ordered to immediately restrict the rebroadcasting (by blacking out) of the program content, and, if it cannot provide an effective measure, to temporarily restrict the rebroadcasting of the television program on that basis. The service provider acted in accordance with the order," the report states.
It is added that one procedure related to the work of a broadcaster, which was issued a warning for broadcasting content from the Rossiya 1 program. It was not specified which broadcaster was involved.
In a new report on human rights in Montenegro in 2024, the State Department indicates that the AMU updated its 2022 ban on broadcasting Russian state media, including Russia Today, Sputnik, and Rossiya 1, and called on all local audiovisual media service providers to suspend the broadcast or distribution of programs of 20 specific Russian media outlets through any means, including cable television, satellite, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), Internet services, video-sharing platforms, or applications.
"Some observers, including the Atlantic Alliance Digital Forensics Center of Montenegro, noted, however, that authorities have not fully implemented the decision, as these banned electronic media platforms remain accessible," the State Department stated.
In several analyses and studies, DFC has pointed to the role of Russian media as a channel for spreading Russian and Serbian malign influence in Montenegro.
In June 2024, in response to the ban on Russian media in the EU, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it was introducing countermeasures - blocking the broadcasting of 81 media outlets from EU member states on Russian territory. These media outlets include several news agencies, including the French AFP and the Spanish EFE, several television stations, dailies and online publications, such as the German “Spiegel” and “Zeitung”, the Spanish “Mundo” and “Pais”, the French “Mond”, “Liberasion”, the Italian “Repubblica”, the LCI and C News channels, and the Politiko and EUObserver portals.
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