After denouncing war in a live telecast, the entire staff of a Russian television channel, TV Rain (Dozhd), resigned by walking out on-air after Russian authorities suspended its operations over their coverage of the Ukraine onslaught.
In a video of the protest, Natalya Sindeyeva, one of the channel's founders, announced 'No to war', and signed off. In a statement released later, the channel indicated that it had suspended its operations 'indefinitely'.
"We need strength to...understand how we can work from here. We really hope that we will return to broadcasting and continue our work," stated in the statement, which was published on the channel's website, Reuters reported.
After the broadcast on Friday, 4 March, the channel played the 'Swan Lake' ballet video. The video was a widely played on state TV channels following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The statement also came after one of the last remaining liberal media outlets in Russia, Ekho Moskvy, was dissolved following pressure from state authorities over their coverage of the Ukraine war.
Speaking to news agency Reuters, Editor-in-Chief Alexei Venediktov of the radio channel maintained that their 'editorial policies won't change'.
Russia Introduces New Media Law to Curb Ukraine Coverage
Meanwhile, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said that it was suspending all its journalism operations in Russia after the country introduced a new law that would lead to imprisonment for a person found to be spreading "fake news" intentionally.
The law, introduced by Russia's Parliament on Friday, imposes a jail sentence of up to 15 years for a person spreading fake news about the Russian military. It also includes fines for those found publicly demanding sanctions against Russia.