Here the staff leaves the Russian TV channel - in the middle of a broadcast

Earlier this week, several independent Russian media were blocked by the country's censorship authority Roskamnadzor.

According to the country's public prosecutor, the media channels have spread information about the war in Ukraine that "did not reflect reality" and violated state censorship, after which investigations have been launched against them.

On Thursday, the television channel Dozhd completely stopped broadcasting.

- I hope that we will be able to resume the broadcasts one day.

But how, where and in what form we do not know today, says Dozhd's owner and CEO Natalia Sindeyeva in the channel's last broadcast.

- We have to temporarily stop all operations due to the situation we are in now.

But we have never given up and we are not giving up now.

I would like to emphasize this: We have not given up our reporting.

Several media outlets have been shut down

The Russian state has demanded that the media in the country must not describe the invasion of Ukraine as a war, and that all reporting must follow the guidelines of state censorship.

During the week, several independent media outlets have been stopped for violating censorship, and several international actors such as the BBC and Deustche Welle have now been blocked in the country.

The host in tears

During a dramatic final broadcast, the TV channel's staff gathered in the studio to say goodbye to their audience.

- We all know what truth is, and what hypocritical manipulation is.

No matter how bitter and dark the situation is now, and no matter how many people now applaud and rejoice that we are forced to shut down - the truth will win in the end, says Tikhon Dzyadko, the channel's editor-in-chief.

In the last seconds of the broadcast, host Ekaterina Kotrikadze first turns to her colleagues and says she loves them all, before turning directly to viewers in tears:

- Our beloved audience, who never stood indifferent, who followed our reporting during all this time.

I want to say thank you to you, and forgive us, says Kotrikadze.

After that, the staff marches out of the studio together, and the broadcast stops.