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dpa
Washington
Several international broadcasters and media outlets have suspended operations in Russia, following a decision by the Russian parliament to restrict news coverage of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF announced that they were suspending coverage from their Moscow studios for the time being, but would “continue to inform the public on the events in Russia and Ukraine from their other locations.”
A number of Western media organizations including the BBC and Bloomberg have been halting their operations in Russia in the wake of Moscow’s crackdown on foreign media outlets.
“CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward,” the US broadcaster told dpa upon request late on Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law into effect on Friday that will mean heavy fines and up to 15 years’ imprisonment for spreading false information about the country’s armed forces.
Two of Russia’s most important remaining independent media outlets - popular radio station Ekho Moskvy and online news channel Dozhd - closed on Thursday as a result of the crackdown.
The law specifically punishes the dissemination of alleged false information about Russian soldiers, the discrediting of the Russian armed forces as well as calls for sanctions on Russia.
Moscow officially calls the invasion of Ukraine a “military operation,” and has already banned media from using terms like “attack” or “invasion.”
The BBC announced on Friday plans to halt the work of its reporters in Russia. On Sunday, a spokesperson for the broadcaster confirmed that its international BBC World News programme, which airs in many countries outside Britain, has been blocked in Russia since Saturday.
The US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) broadcaster on Saturday said it would suspend operations in Russia.
The broadcaster cited bankruptcy proceedings initiated by Russian tax authorities against RFE/RL’s Russian branch, increased police pressure on its journalists and the new media law in Russia as reasons.
“This is not a decision that RFE/RL has taken of its own accord, but one that has been forced upon us by the Putin regime’s assault on the truth,” RFE/RL president Jamie Fly said in a press release.
The outlet plans to continue to cover “Russia’s catastrophic invasion of its neighbor... from outside of Russia.” RFE/RL has had a physical presence in Russia since 1991.
“Following years of threats, intimidation and harassment of our journalists, the Kremlin, desperate to prevent Russian citizens from knowing the truth about its illegal war in Ukraine, is now branding honest journalists as traitors to the Russian state,” Fly said.
Washington
Several international broadcasters and media outlets have suspended operations in Russia, following a decision by the Russian parliament to restrict news coverage of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF announced that they were suspending coverage from their Moscow studios for the time being, but would “continue to inform the public on the events in Russia and Ukraine from their other locations.”
A number of Western media organizations including the BBC and Bloomberg have been halting their operations in Russia in the wake of Moscow’s crackdown on foreign media outlets.
“CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward,” the US broadcaster told dpa upon request late on Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law into effect on Friday that will mean heavy fines and up to 15 years’ imprisonment for spreading false information about the country’s armed forces.
Two of Russia’s most important remaining independent media outlets - popular radio station Ekho Moskvy and online news channel Dozhd - closed on Thursday as a result of the crackdown.
The law specifically punishes the dissemination of alleged false information about Russian soldiers, the discrediting of the Russian armed forces as well as calls for sanctions on Russia.
Moscow officially calls the invasion of Ukraine a “military operation,” and has already banned media from using terms like “attack” or “invasion.”
The BBC announced on Friday plans to halt the work of its reporters in Russia. On Sunday, a spokesperson for the broadcaster confirmed that its international BBC World News programme, which airs in many countries outside Britain, has been blocked in Russia since Saturday.
The US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) broadcaster on Saturday said it would suspend operations in Russia.
The broadcaster cited bankruptcy proceedings initiated by Russian tax authorities against RFE/RL’s Russian branch, increased police pressure on its journalists and the new media law in Russia as reasons.
“This is not a decision that RFE/RL has taken of its own accord, but one that has been forced upon us by the Putin regime’s assault on the truth,” RFE/RL president Jamie Fly said in a press release.
The outlet plans to continue to cover “Russia’s catastrophic invasion of its neighbor... from outside of Russia.” RFE/RL has had a physical presence in Russia since 1991.
“Following years of threats, intimidation and harassment of our journalists, the Kremlin, desperate to prevent Russian citizens from knowing the truth about its illegal war in Ukraine, is now branding honest journalists as traitors to the Russian state,” Fly said.
