# Russia: CBC/Radio-Canada bureau closed and journalists' visas cancelled

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources reviewed do not give Russia's specific stated reason for acting against CBC's bureau on that date.

Russian authorities ordered the Canadian broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada's Moscow bureau closed and cancelled its journalists' visas and accreditation, part of a wave of expulsions and non-renewals of foreign correspondents after the invasion of Ukraine.[1][2][3]

- Country: [Russia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/ru) (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)
- Where: Russia
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Expulsion and visa denial
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/expulsion_and_visa_denial#stage-punish)
- Ladder note: Russia closed a foreign broadcaster's bureau and cancelled its journalists' visas and accreditation after Canada imposed sanctions; the September 2026 White House ban restricted building access but did not remove any outlet's staff from the country.
- Head of government at the time: [Vladimir Putin](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/vladimir-putin)
- Issue of the day: Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome: Sustained, 18 May 2022. The bureau closure and visa cancellations were not reported as reversed in the sources reviewed.
- Era: The 2020s

## What happened

On May 18, 2022, Russian authorities moved to close the Moscow bureau of CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada's public broadcaster, and cancelled the visas and accreditation of its correspondents there, ending the outlet's ability to report from inside the country. The action came three months into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, during a period in which Russia also blocked the websites of the BBC's Russian service, Germany's Deutsche Welle and other outlets, and later denied visa renewals to correspondents from the Netherlands and Finland and expelled two German journalists. Canada had imposed sanctions on Russian officials and state media figures over the invasion, and Russian officials described several of these press-related measures as reciprocal steps against countries that had sanctioned Russia or its state broadcasters.[1][2][3]

Sustained; the bureau remained closed in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What changed for reporting

The closure ended CBC's ability to report from inside Russia during the war, joining several other Western outlets whose correspondents lost accreditation or visas over the same period.[2]

## Timeline

- 2022-05-18: Russia: CBC/Radio-Canada bureau closed and journalists' visas cancelled

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Vladimir Putin](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/vladimir-putin) | other | President of Russia |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [CBC/Radio-Canada](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/cbc-radio-canada) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Russia-Ukraine war press freedom watch. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-ukraine-war-press-freedom-watch/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-11).
2. Russia closes Moscow bureau of Canadian broadcaster CBC. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/russia-closes-moscow-bureau-canadian-broadcaster-cbc-2022-05-18/ (Reuters, 2022-05-18).

## Claims cited

[1] Description of the action against CBC's Moscow bureau. Quote: "Russian authorities have moved to close the outlet's Moscow bureau and cancel the visa and accreditations of its journalists" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-11. Russia-Ukraine war press freedom watch. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-ukraine-war-press-freedom-watch/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/635, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] CPJ's broader characterization of Russia's actions since the invasion began. Quote: "Russian authorities have moved quickly to establish total censorship and control over the free flow of information since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24," Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-11. Russia-Ukraine war press freedom watch. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-ukraine-war-press-freedom-watch/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/636, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Related blocking action against other foreign outlets in the same period. Quote: "Roskomnadzor on Friday, March 4, blocked access to several news websites, including those of BBC Russian, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-03-04. Russia further blocks media outlets, social media. https://cpj.org/2022/03/russia-further-blocks-media-outlets-social-media/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/637, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-russia-expels-cbc-cancels-visas. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.