2 Russian news sites, legal aid group, close under pressure

Two Russian news outlets and a legal aid group backed by a leading Kremlin critic have shut down after authorities blocked their websites

MOSCOW -- Two Russian news outlets and a legal aid group backed by a leading Kremlin critic shut down Thursday after authorities blocked their websites, the government's latest moves targeting independent media, opposition supporters and human rights activists ahead of Russia’s September parliamentary election. The Otkrytye Media and MBKh Media news sites, as well the Pravozashchita Otkrytki legal aid group, announced they were ceasing operations, citing reports that their websites on Wednesday night were blocked over their alleged ties to organizations declared “undesirable” in Russia — a label that outlaws an organization and exposes its members, supporters and partners to criminal prosecution. All three organizations are backed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian tycoon who moved to London after spending a decade in prison in Russia on charges widely seen as political revenge for challenging President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Russian authorities have declared a number of organizations linked to Khodorkovsky “undesirable.” Otkrytye Media said in a statement Thursday that it had received a grant from Khodorkovsky but never worked with “undesirable” organizations. Still, the outlet would shut down as “the risks for the project's staff members are too high.” MBKh Media Editor-in-Chief Veronika Kutsyllo echoed the sentiment, saying on Facebook that she wasn't "ready to endanger freedom and lives of other people.”