Russia has expelled a U.S. journalist and banned him from entering the country for five years, a controversial move in the run-up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, which kick off on Feb. 7.
David Satter, author and former Financial Times correspondent, was informed of the decision by a Russian diplomat in Kiev, according to a report in The Guardian. The prepared statement read: "The competent organs have decided that your presence on the territory of the Russian Federation is not desirable. You are banned from entering Russia."
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Satter's new position was an advisor to Radio Europe/Radio Free Liberty, which is funded by the U.S. government. He confirmed the news on his Twitter account:
As some of you may know, I've been expelled from Russia. Here's the Radio Free Europe story: http://t.co/HwKkicKPyp
— David Satter (@DavidSatter) January 13, 2014
Satter has long targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin in his writing, including in his book Darkness at Dawn: The Rise of the Russian Criminal State. The journalist connected Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) with a series of bombings as part of an attempt to bring Putin to power.
Satter was informed of the move on Dec. 25, according to the Guardian. Six days later, his byline appeared on CNN on an article highlighting the terrorist threats to the upcoming Olympic Games.
Satter's expulsion was rumored to be the first since the end of the Cold War, but acting New York Times Moscow bureau chief Steven Lee Myers noted that Russia banned ABC in 2005 after the network interviewed a Chechen rebel.
Contrary to some reports, David Satter is not the first US journalist barred from Russia since the Cold War. http://t.co/z6Uje5wZ0M
— Steven Lee Myers (@slmmoscow) January 14, 2014
Image: Alexei Nikolsky/AFP/Getty Images