Alexei Venediktov: My words carry more weight if I stay in Moscow

Despite threats, former Echo of Moscow editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov is still working and reporting in Moscow. He says that the European Union sanctions on Russia, which were followed by Switzerland, are counter-productive.

Let everyone speak, and speak with everyone – this is Alexei Venediktov’s motto. Until Russia invaded Ukraine, Venediktov was editor-in-chief of the radio station Echo of Moscow. The station had survived waves of media repression and was considered one of Russia’s few remaining independent media organisations. But on March 3, 2022, several days after the invasion began, it was banned from the airwaves after it denounced the war. Venediktov spoke with SWI swissinfo.ch during a visit to Switzerland.