Russian radio station taken off air over Ukraine coverage

A Russian radio station has been taken off the air after authorities threatened to shut it down over its coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

MOSCOW -- A Russian radio station critical of the Kremlin was taken off the airwaves on Tuesday, its chief editor said and The Associated Press confirmed, after authorities threatened to shut it down over its coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The move against Echo Moskvy, one of Russia’s oldest radio stations, comes amid growing pressure on Russia’s independent media to follow the Kremlin's official line while covering the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian authorities also threatened to block Dozhd, Russia’s top independent TV channel. The Prosecutor General’s office accused the two media outlets of spreading content that incites extremist activities, as well as “false information regarding the actions of Russian military personnel as part of a special operation” in Ukraine.

The Prosecutor General's office said actions taken against the two outlets would include “immediate shutdown.”