Now, only video operators are allowed on the balcony from which the sessions are traditionally filmed. Photographers are banned from entering, although the duration of this restriction has not yet been specified.
According to the publication, the initiative to ban photographs arose after several journalists took pictures during the first session after the New Year holidays, and some deputies were dissatisfied with their appearance in the photographs.
The Speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, previously expressed dissatisfaction with the work of photojournalists, pointing out that they try to "snoop and capture moments in an unfavorable light."
“We never mock you or insult you. Notice that when you find yourselves in different situations, we do not belittle you. But when you catch certain moments from the balcony, they are probably not the ones you would want to capture,” Volodin noted.
