London, Mar 4 (PTI) The BBC said on Friday that it had no choice but to temporarily suspend its journalists' work in Russia after the Kremlin brought in a new law that could mean a jail term of up to 15 years for anyone spreading "fake" information about the country's armed forces.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie said the legislation "appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism" and that safety of the British Broadcasting Corporation staff is "paramount".

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It said that its news service in Russian will continue to operate from outside Russia.

The move follows a new law passed in the Russian Duma, the Lower House of its Parliament, on Friday, which warns of imprisonment if so-called fake news leads to serious consequences.

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"It leaves us no other option than to temporarily suspend the work of all BBC News journalists and their support staff within the Russian Federation while we assess the full implications of this unwelcome development,” said Tim Davie.

He added: “Our BBC News service in Russian will continue to operate from outside Russia. The safety of our staff is paramount and we are not prepared to expose them to the risk of criminal prosecution simply for doing their jobs. I'd like to pay tribute to all of them, for their bravery, determination and professionalism.

"We remain committed to making accurate, independent information available to audiences around the world, including the millions of Russians who use our news services. Our journalists in Ukraine and around the world will continue to report on the invasion of Ukraine."

The new law is designed to give Russia powers to suppress information that it deems as "fake" about its invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a special military operation.

Russia's Upper House of Parliament approved the law on Friday, and it could take effect in the coming days after President Vladimir Putin signs it off.

Access to BBC websites had already been restricted in Russia. News outlets Deutsche Welle, Meduza and Radio Liberty also had their services limited, Russia's state-owned news agency RIA said.

Twitter and Facebook have both reported having their services restricted and deliberately slowed down.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)