MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. European Union sanctions against former RT France Editor-in-Chief Ksenia Fyodorova amount to blatant pressure on journalists and persecution of media representatives, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"These are not the first illegal sanctions of this kind. This is blatant pressure on the media, this is persecution of media representatives. This is the suppression of any dissent in the country, and [the sanctions against Fyodorova] are telling evidence of the practices that the French authorities allow themselves to employ," Peskov said.

The European Union has added the former head of RT’s French bureau to its sanctions list, according to a statement by the Council of the EU. Brussels claims that Fyodorova’s activities constitute "information manipulation" and "undermine democracy" in the European Union.