Ekho Moskvy, one of Russia’s media outlets, was pulled off air on March 1 over its coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The outlet’s editor-in-chief Aleksei Venediktov, confirmed that Ekho Moskvy had been blocked and said the decision would be appealed.
“The Editorial board of Ekho Moskvy absolutely disagrees with the demand of the Prosecutor-General’s Office that led to the radio station being cut off the air,” Venediktov wrote on Telegram.
Dozhd TV, another leading independent outlet, was also taken off air on March 1, according to a report by RFE/RL.
Before the two outlets were blocked, the Office of the Prosecutor-General had asked authorities to remove them for spreading “premeditated false information about the Russian military personnel’s special operation” in Ukraine.
Media watchdog Roskmnadzor had already warned media outlets not to call the invasion of Ukraine an invasion or a war; it is only supposed to be called a “special military operation in Ukraine.”
The media watchdog had also warned outlets to only use official sources when reporting about the special operation.
Roskomnadzor said the websites shared “inaccurate information of social significance about Russian military personnel allegedly killed or captured on the territory of Ukraine during a special military operation conducted by the Russian Federation’s armed forces.”
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