'Voice of America' employees began receiving official notices of termination effective March 31. At least two of them posted about it on their social media.
Journalist Ksenia Turkova, who had worked at 'Voice of America' since 2017, wrote on Facebook* that she is officially terminated as of March 31.
Correspondent for the Russian service of 'Voice of America' Mikhail Komadovsky also wrote on the social network X about his dismissal. "Those working at 'Voice of America' under contract, including myself, have just received an email notifying us that our contracts will be terminated as of March 31, 2025," Komadovsky reported.
In the email received by journalists, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) demands "to immediately cease all work," they are also prohibited from accessing all buildings and systems of USAGM, claims the Qatari publication Al Jazeera, which reviewed the letter.
'Voice of America' stopped allowing journalists into the office immediately after Donald Trump's order to conduct large-scale cuts in seven agencies, including USAGM. Journalists were placed on paid indefinite leave, and layoffs began a day later.
On Saturday, the White House released a press statement saying that American taxpayers "will no longer pay for radical propaganda." The statement includes a reference to an article by The Daily Caller, which claims that "several reporters from Voice of America published anti-Trump content on social media."
A letter was sent to the management of 'Radio Liberty'** from USAGM about the immediate termination of grants that funded media activities until the end of the year. On Saturday, employees were notified that they would appeal the decision and promised to pay salaries for March.
* The owner of Facebook Meta is recognized as an "extremist organization" in Russia.
** Recognized as a "foreign agent" and "undesirable" organization in Russia.