Russian news agency Sputnik closes Estonia operations after employees quit

∗ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

The Russian news agency Sputnik says it is closing its operations in Estonia after nearly three dozen of its employees resigned following what they said was pressure from Estonian police.

The state-controlled agency published a statement on January 1 saying 35 people employed in its Estonian unit had ended their labor contracts and resigned, fearing possible criminal prosecution.

“Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board has presented each of us with an ultimatum,” the statement said: “either we terminate our labor contracts…and no longer work for Sputnik Estonia or they open criminal cases against us.”

“Unfortunately, experience dictates that despite the apparent absurdity of the Estonian government’s threats, criminal prosecution of journalists is a reality in today’s Europe,” the announcement said.

Last month, Estonian law enforcement sent Sputnik’s Estonia unit a warning saying that staff members could be prosecuted due to European Union sanctions against Russia.

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Sputnik Estonia, which publishes text and audio online in Russian and Estonian, is controlled by the Russian state media company Rossia Segodnya, which also includes the TV channel formerly known as Russia Today and the news wire RIA-Novosti in its holdings.

Dmitry Kiselyov, a TV commentator known for anti-Western diatribes, is among those included on the European Union’s sanctions list. He is the CEO of Rossia Segodnya.