Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has made clear — in Vladimir Putin’s Russia dissent is not welcome. Still, thousands of Russians have protested the invasion, risking fines, detention, and imprisonment.

The rare sources of independent radio and TV news in the country have gone silent, including Echo of Moscow and TV Rain. 

Earlier this week, a producer for a government-run television station interrupted a live broadcast holding a sign that read: “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” She was subsequently arrested and detained for nearly 24 hours, before being fined several hundred dollars.

Russian lawmakers passed a new law at the beginning of March, making it a crime to spread what they deemed “fake news,” which includes calling the conflict in Ukraine a “war.”  The law includes penalties of up to 15 years in prison.

Because of this, several Western media organizations decided to pull their journalists out of Russia. Bloomberg News, CNN and the New York Times have moved their journalists out of the country because of concerns over the new law and their staff’s safety. 

Even before the invasion began, Russia was ranked 150 out of 180 countries in the Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index.

We spoke with Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times about his staff's move out of Russia and Clayton Weimers, Deputy Director of the DC Bureau of Reporters without Borders.