DW's Director General Barbara Massing responds to the labelling of DW as an "undesirable organization." In Russia, cooperating with "undesirable organizations" is a criminal offense, subject to fines and, in severe cases, imprisonment. Even sharing content from such organizations — such as posting their journalistic work on social media — is considered a crime. For Russian citizens, the ban on cooperation also applies outside Russian territory. This means that Russian employees of DW are particularly affected.