Russia outlaws critical news outlet as ‘undesirable’ in continued crackdown on dissent

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian authorities on Wednesday declared a news outlet critical of the Kremlin an “undesirable” organization, effectively banning it from operating in Russia as part of a continued crackdown on dissent.

Novaya Gazeta Europe was founded by former journalists of the prominent independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta that was stripped of its media license last year. It operates from outside Russia.

Prosecutor General’s office accused the outlet of “creating and disseminating materials to the detriment of the interests” of Russia — namely, “false information about alleged wide-spread violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens in Russia, accusations against our country of unleashing an aggressive war on Ukraine, of committing war crimes against civilian population, and of repressions.”

Labeling the publication “undesirable” outlaws its operation in Russia and exposes its journalists, others working with it and its donors to criminal charges.

In recent years, Russia has methodically targeted people and organizations critical of the Kremlin, branding many as “foreign agents” and declaring some “undesirable” under a 2015 law that made membership in “undesirable” organizations a criminal offense.

Last week, Russian authorities slapped the label on the World Wide Fund for Nature and prominent rights group Agora. Earlier this year, the environmental pressure group Greenpeace was forced to close its Russian division after Moscow declared it to be an undesirable organization.