On 29 June 2022, a local newspaper in Rostov region, Krestyanin (“The Peasant”) informed it would cease printing due to recent laws in Russia restricting possibilities to write about the war in Ukraine. In an article published on Krestyanin’s website, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Irina Samokhina mentioned “[new laws] foreseeing penalties for distributing ‘fake news’ on the actions of the [Russian] Armed Forces, ‘discrediting’ their use and ‘calling for sanctions’ [against Russia].” She said Krestyanin no longer had “the possibility to let everyone express their opinions” and that continuing to print the newspaper was, in her opinion, especially dangerous in these conditions. Samokhina said the media’s team would, however, continue publishing online for different projects.
Immediately after the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia introduced a set of laws foreseeing fines for publishing content linked to the war in Ukraine. Publications distributing news not based on official government or military sources is seen as ‘discrediting’ the Russian army or qualified as ‘fake news’. Ignoring these regulations entails fines, while repeated violations can be punished with terms in prison.