"Propaganda is an affront to our intelligence"

Limbourg also introduced the new studio director Juri Rescheto to the assembled German and Russian diplomats, journalists as well as business and civil society representatives.

Referencing DW's longstanding presence in Moscow, Limbourg thanked the Russian authorities who recently extended DW's television broadcasting license by ten years. "That's unfortunately not just a matter of course these days," DW's director general said.

Limbourg also used the reception in Moscow to address press freedom issues. "It troubles me to see that Russia's independent press is in big trouble," he said. "Freedom of the press is uncomfortable, sometimes difficult to bear - and a free press also makes mistakes. But it provides a control on those with political and financial power. That is of service to a free society and provides a stabilizing force over the long term," Limbourg said. He added that he hopes very much that the freedom of the press "will once again come to be seen as having inherent value in Russia."

DW wants to continue to be seen as a "reliable source of information that stands for balanced journalism," he added, noting that Germany's foreign broadcaster endorses the values of democracy, human rights, press freedom and tolerance. "We are not fighting a war of information. Propaganda is an affront to our intelligence - and that's true of both broadcasters and viewers. Deutsche Welle sets out to inform, explain and convince by way of dialogue. Nothing more and nothing less," the director general stressed, continuing, "We want to and must remain in dialogue with Russia - there's a great deal that connects us."

German and European perspectives

DW is active in the Russian market with TV programming in German and English and with Russian-language online content, which is also available via DW's newly redesigned news app. As of several weeks, Germany's international broadcaster has also produced the show "DW-Nowosti" - a news program available via web TV that is also presented by partner broadcasters. DW focuses on presenting German and European perspectives, Limbourg noted, saying that for the roughly two million people in Russia who are learning German, the German-language news and information offerings - and DW's online language courses in particular - serve as "a bridge to Germany."

The new studio head Juri Rescheto and his team report from the studio in Moscow. Director General Limbourg introduced the correspondent as "an avowed expert on Russia." Forty-year-old Rescheto, who most recently served as a reporter in Ukraine for DW, has been with the broadcaster for 15 years and has "already gained much experience - including in crisis zones," the director general stressed. Rescheto also worked as a reporter in Afghanistan and Colombia for DW, and he has reported for other broadcasters within Germany's ARD public broadcasting network.