One of Russia’s last independent news outlets TV Rain has announced it would stop operations indefinitely after coming under pressure over its coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s telecommunications regulator had already blocked TV Rain earlier this week, accusing it of "inciting extremism, abusing Russian citizens, causing mass disruption of public calm and safety, and encouraging protests", according to reports.

On Thursday, the outlet aired its final show online.

“No to war,” said Natalia Sindeyeva, one of the channel's founders, as the employees walked out of the studio.

The channel then began playing footage of a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.

The ballet was infamously used in Soviet-era radio and television broadcasts during the 1980s to mark the death of leaders, and later in a 1991 coup that would contribute to the end of the Soviet Union.

BBC