The founder of an independent website covering news in Siberia has fled Russia amid a crackdown by the state on media outlets covering Russia's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Aleksandr Bayanov wrote on Facebook on July 12 that he left the Taiga.info staff and is currently with his wife in an unspecified country.
Bayanov thanked all former editors and current journalists of the website and said that "the project has been destroyed and demolished" by the authorities.
He joins a long list of activists, journalists, and other people who have left Russia since Moscow launched its wide-scale attack on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Taiga.info continues to operate but has asked readers for financial support.
The website based in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third most populous city, is one of the most popular online media outlets covering news and events in Siberia.
In March, Russian media regulator, Roskomnadzor, blocked Taiga.info for calling Russia's invasion of Ukraine a war. Russian authorities require media outlets to call it "a special military operation."
On March 5, President Vladimir Putin signed a law that calls for lengthy prison terms for distributing "deliberately false information" about Russian military operations as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative about its war in Ukraine.
The law envisages sentences of up to 10 years in prison for individuals convicted of an offense, while the penalty for the distribution of "deliberately false information" about the Russian Army that leads to "serious consequences" is 15 years in prison.
It also makes it illegal "to make calls against the use of Russian troops to protect the interests of Russia" or "for discrediting such use," with a possible penalty of up to three years in prison. The same provision applies to calls for sanctions against Russia.