Russia criticizes US sanctions, warns of turning Kiev into a "giant melting point"

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. (Source: TASS)

A day earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that Washington had imposed new sanctions on three entities and two individuals over their disinformation campaigns on behalf of Russia.

The US Treasury Department later granted joint licenses to Russia's "Russia Today" and "TV News" TV channels until November 13 after imposing full-blocking sanctions on the two entities.

Speaking at the BRICS Media Summit, Ms. Zakharova emphasized: "The situation today is extraordinary. Yesterday (September 13), Russian journalists in the United States were subjected to an act of aggression, having to endure a truly terrorist information attack, both as a group and as individuals."

Ms. Zakharova also described the US sanctions as "an attack on freedom of speech", stressing that "in addition to the monstrous and completely unjustified political statements made by Washington on September 13 regarding the media, there was also physical aggression against journalists".

In a development related to the West allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack Russian territory, on September 14, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned that Moscow could destroy the Ukrainian capital Kiev with non-nuclear weapons in retaliation for Ukraine's use of long-range missiles from the West.

Mr Medvedev said Moscow had been on official grounds to use nuclear weapons since Ukraine invaded Russia's Kursk province, but could instead use some of its new weapons technology to turn Kiev into a "giant melting point" when Moscow ran out of patience.