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"If the work of the Russian media - operators and journalists -
is not normalized in the United States, the most stringent
measures will inevitably follow," ministry spokeswoman Maria
Zakharova said on Friday.
"To this end, on Monday, June 6, the heads of the Moscow offices
of all American media will be invited to the press centre of the
Russian Foreign Ministry to explain to them the consequences of
their government's hostile line in the media sphere," she added.
"We look forward to it."
Russia has accused Western countries of imposing unfair
restrictions on its media abroad, including bans on some
state-backed news outlets. Lawmakers passed a bill last month
giving prosecutors powers to shut foreign media bureaus in
Moscow if a Western country has been "unfriendly" to Russian
media.
Since invading Ukraine in February, Russia has cracked down on
media coverage of the conflict, introducing 15 year prison
sentences for journalists spreading intentionally "fake" news
about what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
The law prompted some Western media to pull their journalists
out of Russia. Other Western organisations, including Reuters,
have stayed in the country and continue to report.
Russia says it is engaged in a "special military operation" to
disarm and "denazify" its neighbor. Ukraine and allies call this
a baseless pretext for a war that has killed thousands,
flattened cities, and forced more than 6 million people to flee
abroad.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Alison
Williams)
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