Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov criticizes Western media practices

On September 21 and 22, 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a series of statements regarding Western media conduct during appearances at international forums in Moscow, including the 65th anniversary Media Forum of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and the 'Dialogue on Fakes 4.0' event.

Lavrov accused Western countries of attempting to control the global information space while suppressing dissenting views and harassing journalists. He specifically addressed recent reports concerning drone incidents in various European countries, claiming that Western outlets repeatedly attribute these to Russia without sufficient evidence. According to Lavrov, subsequent investigations often reveal that such incidents either did not involve drones, involved Ukrainian assets, or could not be verified as Russian. He argued that these initial, unverified reports receive wide publicity, while later findings that contradict the original claims are relegated to minimal coverage.

These remarks represent the official stance of the Russian government, which continues to position itself as a victim of systematic media bias. The Foreign Minister did not provide specific examples or documentation to support his claims during these presentations.