The Netherlands is donating €1.3m to non-governmental organisation Free Press Unlimited to support independent media initiatives in the former Soviet Union.

The aim is to help make sure people have access to Russian language media sources not controlled by the Kremlin, foreign minister Bert Koeders said.

Media organisations in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldovia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Baltic states are increasingly dominated by Russian state media and media controlled by Moscow, the minister said during a debate on his ministry’s 2016 spending plans.

‘At the moment, large numbers of Russian speakers in the former Soviet Union only have access to one-sided news, often filled with Kremlin disinformation,’ Koenders said.

The Volkskrant points out that the donation could have a further impact on the already damaged diplomatic relationship between the Netherlands and Russia.