Russia Shuts Down Deutsche Welle’s Moscow Office

Russia closed, Thursday, the Moscow bureau of German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, in response to Berlin's ban on the German-language channel of Russian state TV network RT.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement it will also "terminate the satellite and other broadcasting (output) of Deutsche Welle" on Russian territory.

Accordingly, Deutsche Welle called the decision "absurd" and a "complete overreaction."

In the same vein, Deutsche Welle's chief Peter Limbourg said the order was an "absurd reaction of the Russian government."

"The measures of the Russian authorities are in no way comprehensible, and a complete overreaction," said Limbourg. "Even if we were to close it eventually, that will not affect our coverage of Russia -- rather, we will significantly boost our coverage."

The decision comes amid increasing tensions between Russia and the West, particularly over fears of a Russian invasion of Europe's ally Ukraine.

It was also a response after Germany's broadcasting regulator announced it was banning the transmission of the channel "RT DE" over the lack of a broadcasting license.

Moscow had called the move an "infringement" on freedom of speech.

Russian senator Andrei Klimov called Moscow's reaction "adequate".

"It is a responsive measure to the unfriendly acts from the German side," Klimov, who leads a committee on international affairs in the upper house of the Russian parliament, told the Ekho Moskvy radio station.