Ouagadougou: The decision by French authorities to expel former RT France bureau chief Xenia Fedorova from their territory constitutes an 'act of reprisal,' said Alexei Fadeyev, deputy director of the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a press briefing.

According to Burkina Information Agency, this expulsion is an act of reprisal against a journalist deemed too independent.

The diplomat stated that this decision did not surprise the Russian authorities, adding that they have long observed a tendency on the part of the French authorities to obsessively link Russia to all the difficulties facing the country.