Russia's Sergey Lavrov says West has 'totalitarian intolerance of differing opinions'

Amidst the ongoing conflict and carnage in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on Thursday, April 14, spoke at the Digital International Relations 2022 conference in Moscow. Addressing pupils at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the top Russian official accused the West of practising “totalitarian intolerance of differing opinion”. Highlighting the YouTube ban on Russian State TV Duma, he said that the West was determined to silence Russian media outlets. 

“As the Russian Federation started to draw its own opinion and started to make decisions based on its national interest, commitments undertaken by the West were buried. Whenever the West doesn’t like any information, they shut up the sources and shut off the information. We insist that our opinions should be heard but the West, however, has totalitarian intolerance of differing opinions,” Lavrov said.

Furthermore, the Russian lawmaker said that the editors and journalists are silenced.

“Social platforms controlled by the US are restricting access to Russian platforms. We're trying to present people with facts but it seems to be unacceptable to them,” he said.

As the war continues to escalate, Google has banned the YouTube channel of the Russian State TV Duma while Twitter has banned the state-controlled RT news agency.

UK sanctions Sergey Lavrov's wife, Maria

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced sanctions against 206 individuals. The people who have been targeted in the latest sanctions include family members of Russian oligarchs, close associates, and employees. Maria Lavrova, the wife of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is among the individuals added to the UK’s sanctions list. The UK government has announced the freezing of assets and imposed a travel ban on Maria Lavrova. 

The UK government's decision of imposing fresh sanctions comes after multiple reports last week revealed that Russian troops had "barbarically" targeted civilians in Ukraine. According to the statement, the UK government has announced sanctions against 206 individuals, including the 178 separatists, six oligarchs, close associates and employees and an additional 22 individuals through the urgent procedure. Liz Truss in the statement stated that 178 individuals targeted in the latest sanctions are those who prop up Russia-backed breakaway regions of Ukraine. 

(Image: AP)