(Reuters) – Russia’s prosecutor on Wednesday declared the independent media outlet Moscow Times an “undesirable organization”, banning it from the country.
In a statement posted on its website, the prosecutor’s office stated: “The painting in the publication is aimed at discrediting the decisions of the leaders of the Russian Federation in foreign and domestic policy. “
In a statement, the Moscow Times said the appointment “comes as no surprise” and promised to continue working.
He said: “Our job is going to get harder. Anyone in Russia who interacts with us at any time risks prosecution by criminals. But we refuse to remain silent. “
Founded in 1992 as an English-language newspaper, it was first aimed primarily at Western expatriates as Russia opened up to the global outside after the fall of the Soviet Union.
It is one of the only Russian English-language publications to retain editorial independence and later opened a Russian-language service.
His former collaborators come with many prominent journalists, including Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was recently tried in Russia on espionage charges, which he and his newspaper vehemently deny.
The Moscow Times moved to the Netherlands after Russia implemented sweeping censorship legislation shortly after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the past, the Russian government had designated the media outlet as a “foreign agent” and blocked its site in Russia.
(Writing by Felix Light; editing by Mark Trevelyan and Tothrough Chopra)
SBC’s Privacy Policy provides more information on how your data is processed.
I agree to use my knowledge for the SWI swissinfo. ch newsletter.