Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's President Kevin Klose says the Russian government has denied a visa request to David Satter -- a distinguished U.S. journalist and adviser to RFE/RL.
Klose said in a statement on January 13 that the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has been informed of the action against Satter and has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Klose says the U.S. Embassy has sought an explanation from the Russian Foreign Ministry without success.
Satter had been living and working in Russia as an RFE/RL adviser since September 2013.
He had been reporting and providing commentary to RFE/RL’s Russian Service.
He had also been providing interviews and analysis to other news and opinion websites.
Satter received notification in December that his visa request was approved – including an official notification number from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
He’d been told to present that number to the Russian Embassy in Kyiv.
But Satter says he was told later by a Russian Embassy official in the Ukrainian capital that his presence in Russia was considered “undesirable” and his visa request had been rejected.
Klose said he considers the use of the term "undesirable" by the Russian official to be the equivalent of declaring Satter "persona non grata" in Russia.