Reliable news from Russia from independent reporters is likely to become increasingly scarce in the future, and the war in Ukraine has long been a war of information. After Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Friday evening signed a harsh media lawwhich threatens imprisonment for spreading “fake news” about Russian military actions, several international broadcasters and news agencies – including the US broadcasters CNN and Bloomberg, the British BBC and the Canadian broadcaster CBC – are ceasing to work there.
“CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to assess the situation and our next steps,” a spokesman for the American news channel said on Friday evening.
The new media law massively restricts freedom of expression in Russia. Up to 15 years in prison threaten anyone who allegedly spreads “false information” about Russia’s armed forces. Anyone who publicly “denigrates” the army must also expect penalties. The Russian parliament had previously approved the corresponding amendment to the law.
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“This legislation appears to criminalize the process of independent journalism”
Since last week, media in Russia have been banned from using terms such as “attack”, “invasion” and “declaration of war” in reporting on the war against Ukraine. Moscow describes the war as a military “special operation”. Fines can also be imposed for public calls for sanctions against Moscow. Meanwhile, Russian news channels are reporting entirely in line with the government about the “liberation of brother people” in Ukraine and alleged Nazis in the Ukrainian state leadership.
“This legislation appears to criminalize the process of independent journalism,” BBC director general Tim Davie was quoted as saying on Twitter. This left the BBC with no option but to halt the work of all BBC employees in the Russian Federation. “We’re not willing to put them at risk of prosecution just because they’re doing their job.”
The US broadcaster Bloomberg justified its decision in a similar way. Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait said the tightening of the law appears aimed at making any independent journalist a criminal. That makes it impossible “to continue any semblance of normal journalism in the country.”
Not only will it become more difficult to obtain independent information about the situation in Russia in the future. The people in Russia also have hardly any opportunities to obtain objective information about the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. More and more critical media in Russia are being shut down, most recently the independent broadcasters Dozhd and Echo Moskwy. Access to the Deutsche Welle website is also limited. According to the Tass news agency, the authorities in Russia have also been blocking access to Twitter and Facebook since Friday evening. The US government has criticized the move as “part of a broader effort by the Russian leadership to withhold a wide range of information from citizens,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. She was “deeply concerned” about the threat to freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, in the Ukrainian war zone, journalists fear for their lives. A team from British TV broadcaster Sky News came under fire near Kyiv, the broadcaster reported on Saturday. Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay was wounded and cameraman Richie Mockler was hit by bullets believed to have come from Russian troops. The incident is said to have happened on Monday. Both men survived the attack.