"The law sanctioning + false news + on the actions of the Russian armed forces has entered into force (...) we are obliged to remove a lot of content. But we have decided to continue working," the newspaper announced.
"The General Prosecutor's Office and Roskomnadzor (the media regulator, editor's note) demand that Novaya Gazeta and other independent media remove content describing military operations on Ukrainian territory as a war, aggression or invasion. Otherwise, there ( aura) huge fines and the prospect of media liquidation," the newspaper said on its website.
To make this decision, Novaïa Gazeta carried out a survey of its subscribers.
Of nearly 6,500 people who responded, 94% voted to "continue to work under military censorship, meeting the demands of the authorities", while only 6% of those polled expressed themselves in favor of a "suspension of the work of writing until the end of the special operation".
The Russian Parliament on Friday adopted heavy criminal penalties for the distribution of "false information about the army".
Penalties of up to 15 years in prison are provided for in the event of the dissemination of information aimed at "discrediting" the armed forces.
This law must now be signed by President Vladimir Putin to enter into force.
© 2022 AFP