The Russian Foreign Ministry said on November 20 that it summoned Moldovan Ambassador Lilian Darii to inform him that "a number of Moldovan officials were banned from entering the Russian Federation" in an "asymmetrical" response to Moldova's move to block several Russian websites. "A strong protest was expressed to the Moldovan side in connection with ongoing politically motivated persecution of media in the Russian language in Moldova," the ministry said in a statement. Chisinau blocked access to the websites of major Russian news media on October 30, accusing them of taking part in an information war against Moldova.
