Russia has designated the Moscow Times, a leading English-language media outlet focused on covering Russia, an “undesirable organization,” effectively banning its operations within the country and exposing anyone collaborating with it to potential criminal charges.

       “A decision has been taken to declare the activities of The Moscow Times, a foreign nongovernmental organization, undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Russia’s prosecutor general’s office said in a statement Monday. It accused the outlet of “discrediting the decisions of the leadership of the Russian Federation in both foreign and domestic policy.”