The BBC is resuming its journalism and broadcasting from inside Russia tonight.
On Friday, the organisation had announced the ‘temporary suspension’ of all its BBC News journalists and support staff in Russia after authorities passed legislation which director-general Tim Davie said appeared to ‘criminalise the process of independent journalism’.
A statement released on Tuesday afternoon read: ‘We have considered the implications of the new legislation alongside the urgent need to report from inside Russia.
‘After careful deliberation we have decided to resume English language reporting from Russia this evening (Tuesday 8 March), after it was temporarily suspended at the end of last week.
‘We will tell this crucial part of the story independently and impartially, adhering to the BBC’s strict editorial standards.’
‘The safety of our staff in Russia remains our number one priority,’ it concluded.
The new censorship law brought in could see reporters imprisoned for up to 15 years for the publication of ‘fake news’ concerning its armed forces.
Reacting to the new legislation passed by the Russian authorities on Friday, Davie said: ‘This legislation appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism.
‘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.
‘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.
He concluded: ‘Our journalists in Ukraine and around the world will continue to report on the invasion of Ukraine.’
Jonathan Munro, Director of BBC News, added: ‘It’s with a heavy heart that we have had to suspend @BBCNews operations in Russia until we assess the impact of new laws which outlaw independent journalism. Thoughts with colleagues in Moscow whose voices cannot be silenced for long.
‘We are not pulling out @BBCNews journalists from Moscow, as some articles are suggesting. We cannot use their reporting for the time being but they remain valued members of our teams and we hope to get them back on our output as soon as possible.’
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