Russian Envoy Accuses West of Media Suppression at OSCE Conference

Bangkok – Russia has levelled serious accusations against Western nations, charging them with pursuing policies of suppressing opposing viewpoints, imposing political censorship on media, and applying double standards.

Addressing the third session of the 2026 OSCE Asian Conference, Russia’s Ambassador to Thailand, Evgeny Tomikhin, stated that there has been a sustained regression in free access to information. He accused Western countries of imposing illegitimate collective and personal restrictions against Russian media, using diversified instruments of pressure, including through IT companies in the digital environment.

The Ambassador asserted that relevant OSCE institutions prefer to ignore violations of basic obligations on media freedom, while remaining silent or offering meaningless reactions to targeted killings and attacks on journalists in conflict zones.

Tomikhin noted that inaction and inertia are particularly noticeable in relation to what he called the Kiev regime’s crimes against civilians. Highlighting an increasing flow of disinformation, mass production of fakes using artificial intelligence, and their targeted global distribution, he proposed three key countermeasures.

First, developing universal rules on international platforms for identifying and labelling AI-generated content. Second, increasing the exchange of experience and practices in fighting disinformation and properly managing neural networks among foreign ministries. Third, supporting civil society initiatives that expose fakes and educational programmes to upgrade digital and media literacy. He cited the independent Global Fact-Checking Network, launched in 2024 and now comprising over 100 experts from more than 50 countries, as a good example of such initiatives.