there following the passage of a law that could lead to up to 15 years imprisonment for the publication of “fake news” concerning its armed forces.
A Washington Post spokeswoman said, “We are assessing the details of the Russian law and its potential impact on our reporting. We intend to exercise caution while seeking clarity about how these reported restrictions would affect Washington Post correspondents and local staff.
“Now journalists in this country face the prospect of a much wider ranging law which could land them lengthy jail sentences,” he said. He said earlier this week that they were not sure what it meant for foreign news reporting, but he has said that Russian security services have made visits to their standup reporting positions.
The Russian prosecutor’s office said that providing assistance to a foreign organization or state for “their activities against the security of Russia” would be high treason. The punishment is up to 20 years in prison. Russian independent media outlets have disappeared. The Committee to Protect Journalists noted that Znak and TV 2 have closed due to the restrictions. Gulnoza Said, Europe and Asia program coordinator for CPF, said that Russian authorities “have moved quickly to establish total censorship and control over the free flow of information” since the invasion.