The BBC has said that it has been left with "no other option" than to suspend the work of all of its journalists in Russia for the time being following the introduction of a restrictive new law.
Last month Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine, falsely claiming to members of the Russian public that it was a humanitarian effort to "denazify" the country and save the Ukrainian people from genocide.
Much of the media in Russia is state-owned or heavily influenced by the Kremlin - and correspondingly, their reporting of events has gone along with Putin's false narrative.
Russia's parliament has now made it an offence to propagate what it deems to be "fake" information about the invasion, including describing it as a "war" rather than a "special military operation".
Earlier on Friday it emerged that the BBC's website had begun being blocked by Russian ISPs and now the corporation has confirmed that for journalists' safety, their work will be halted with immediate effect.
Director-general Tim Davie said: "This legislation appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism. It leaves us no other option than to temporarily suspend the work of all BBC News journalists and their support staff within the Russian Federation while we assess the full implications of this unwelcome development.
"Our BBC News service in Russian will continue to operate from outside Russia.
"The safety of our staff is paramount and we are not prepared to expose them to the risk of criminal prosecution simply for doing their jobs. I'd like to pay tribute to all of them, for their bravery, determination and professionalism.
"We remain committed to making accurate, independent information available to audiences around the world, including the millions of Russians who use our news services. Our journalists in Ukraine and around the world will continue to report on the invasion of Ukraine."
Earlier this week the BBC reported record viewing figures for the Russian-language version of BBC News Online, with a weekly reach of 10.7 million people. body check tags ::
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