Russian Ambassador to Jakarta Sergey Tolchenov accused the Ukrainian Embassy of interfering in Indonesia’s internal affairs and obstructing local media operations on January 27.
In particular, Tolchenov stated that Ukrainian authorities have been exerting pressure on Indonesian journalists who traveled to Donbas.
“The actions of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission constitute interference in Indonesia’s internal affairs and a violation of the principles of freedom of expression and the right to journalistic activity,” he said during an interview.
Tolchenov emphasized that Indonesian media representatives are entitled to freely visit Russian Federation territories, including the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as well as the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions—areas that became part of Russia following September 2022 referendums.
“Indonesian journalists do not require permission from third countries to enter these regions; entry procedures are governed by Russian legislation,” he explained.
The ambassador also noted that a production team from the Indonesian Garuda TV channel had recently filmed in Donetsk and Mariupol. Upon returning to Indonesia, the channel received a formal letter from the Ukrainian embassy expressing outrage over the trip.
