"We got a stamp in the passport prohibiting entry to Lithuania for a period of one year. As employees of the Lithuanian Migration Service have explained, this allegedly means the ban on the entry namely to Lithuania. However, they made it clear that everything is possible, and that there may be some problems in other EU countries. Although, of course, in my opinion, this would simply be a flagrant violation of the professional rights of a journalist," Zarubin told Russia’s Rossiya-24 television channel.
He said he suspected that any final information on the issue would emerge when the crew tried to arrive in any of the EU countries on a work-related purpose.
Earlier in the day, the broadcaster’s vesti.ru online outlet reported that Vilnius planned to deport the VGTRK employees, citing "a possible threat to national security." The journalists were subsequently put on the list of undesirable persons.
Three out of four blacklisted Russian reporters left Lithuania on Thursday, the Lithuanian customs service spokesman said.
"Today at 1 a.m. [local time, 23:00 GMT on Friday], three persons took a flight to Moscow. They had to leave Lithuania under the order of the migration department of the Vilnius police," Giedrius Misutis told the Lithuanian BNS news agency.
According to media reports, the location of the forth reporter is unknown. He has to leave the country by Friday.
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