Moscow probes British media over spy row

Russia announced yesterday it had begun analysing the output of British media working on its territory with a view to opening formal investigations into its objectivity, a response to what it called British attempts to curb Russian media.

Moscow said it was acting reluctantly after a decision by Britain's media regulator on Monday to open a further three investigations into Russia's RT to determine whether the Kremlin-backed TV channel had breached impartiality rules.

That move, which stoked fears that RT might be stripped of its broadcast licence, took to 11 the number of RT programmes under investigation in Britain and angered Moscow, whose relations with London are at a low after a nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in March.