MOSCOW, Jan  26, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Russian prosecutors on Thursday banned 
Meduza, a popular and independent Russian-language news website, saying it 
posed a security "threat" to the country.

 It is the first time a major media outlet with millions of readers has been 
labelled "undesirable" and outlawed in the country.

 Russian authorities have been presiding over an unprecedented media and 
opposition crackdown since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in 
February.

  Established in 2014, Meduza is based in Latvia to circumvent Moscow's 
censorship.

 On Thursday, the general prosecutor's office said that it was designating 
Meduza an "undesirable" entity.

 "It has been established that its activities pose a threat to the 
foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the Russian 
Federation," prosecutors said.

  Meduza had already been branded a "foreign agent" in Russia in 2021.

 Under the "undesirables" law, Russians who maintain ties with such 
organisations could face heavy fines or prison terms of up to six years. 

 The designation can have serious consequences not only for Meduza's 
reporters and editors but also interviewees and readers who share its stories 
on social media.

 In a statement, Meduza urged Russians to keep reading their stories and 
pledged to resist the pressure.

 "We would like to say now that we are not afraid, and we do not care about 
the new status -- but this is not true," it said.

"We are afraid for our readers. We are afraid for those who have worked 
with Meduza for many years. We are afraid for our loved ones and friends."

 Independent Russian journalists expressed support, saying the prosecutors' 
label meant that state propaganda was not working.

"It is the first time that the state is directly seeking to exterminate an 
outlet with millions of followers, the main independent source of news and 
stories for Russian-speaking readers," Novaya Gazeta Europe said.

 Several media outlets have been labelled "undesirable" in Russia in the 
past.

Since Putin sent troops to Ukraine, all independent media in Russia have 
been closed or have suspended activities.

 Access to the websites of foreign-based media, such as Meduza, has been 
restricted. 

 The "foreign agent" label -- reminiscent of the "enemy of the people" of 
the Soviet era -- has in recent years been used extensively against opponents, 
journalists and rights activists in Russia.

 On Wednesday, a Moscow court ordered the closure of Russia's oldest human 
rights organisation, the Moscow Helsinki Group.