Two Slovenian media outlets, the broadcaster Nova24TV and the political magazine Demokracija, are among 81 European media blocked by Russia in what Moscow says is a retaliatory measure against EU sanctions on Russian media.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the move on 24 June, publishing a list of affected media outlets which it accused of "systematically spreading false information about the course of the special military operation" in Ukraine.

Nova24TV and Demokracija, affiliated with the right-wing Democrats (SDS) and known for their conservative editorial stances, are among the outlets that are being made inaccessible inside Russia. These include major European news organizations such as Agence France-Presse, Spain's EFE, France's Le Monde, Germany's Der Spiegel and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Spain's El Mundo, and Italy's La Repubblica and La Stampa.

Demokracija editor-in-chief Metod Berlec responded by saying the ban demonstrates that both Demokracija and Nova24TV report critically and credibly on Russian military aggression in Ukraine and that this greatly bothers Moscow. "At Demokracija, we will continue to report critically, credibly, and professionally on wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world," he added.

Moscow said the measure was in response to the EU's May sanctions against several Russian media outlets, including the Voice of Europe website, newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and the RIA Novosti news agency.

The EU has accused these Russian media of being under direct or indirect control of Russian authorities and playing a key role in spreading and supporting propaganda backing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova called Russia's action a "nonsense retaliation", adding on X that "propaganda outlets funded by Russia to spread disinformation as part of Russia's military doctrine are not the same as independent media".