New York Times to Move Reporters Out of Russia Citing ‘Safety and Security’ Concerns

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The New York Times announced on Tuesday that it will move its reporters in Russia out of the country amid the military invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement obtained by Mediaite announcing the personnel move, the Times slammed the law, which was enacted late last week:

Russia’s new legislation seeks to criminalize independent, accurate news reporting about the war against Ukraine. For the safety and security of our editorial staff working in the region, we are moving them out of the country for now. We look forward to returning them as soon as possible while we monitor the application of the new law. We will continue our live, robust coverage of the war, and our rigorous reporting on Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and these attempts to stifle independent journalism.

Those that violate the law, which was enacted late last week, face up to 15 years behind bars.

Numerous news organizations have temporarily stopped working in Russia amid Moscow’s crackdown on dissenting news organizations. They include CNN International, Bloomberg News, ABC News, the BBC, and Russian outlets TV Rain and Radio Echo. Meanwhile, Russian state media outlets such as RT have been restricted in the United States and in Europe.