Vladimir Putin slammed over new law on fake news; US says Russia 'undermining free press'

Condemning Vladimir Putin's 'war of choice', on Saturday the White House commended the US government and 'global companies' for having pulled an 'unprecedented' rejection of Moscow. In the wake of the Russia-led invasion of Ukraine, the Joe Biden-led country called out on the 'Russian Government’s efforts to undermine the free press and spread disinformation'.

The White House's statement holds relevance as Putin introduced a new law that threatens a jail term of up to 15 years for publishing what the Kremlin deems as 'fake news'. Also, the Russian President implied that the international sanctions on Russia are equivalent to war as his military resumed 'military offensives' in Mariupol despite an agreement on a ceasefire for the human corridor. 

Putin’s war is unjustified: White House

In an official press release, the White House said, "the Russian government’s efforts to propagate lies and obscure the truth have been rejected by the international community:  governments, the private sector, and civil society have taken independent action in an unprecedented manner to reject efforts to sell Putin’s war as justified."

Referring to the latest 'fake news' regulation across Russia, the US has said, "With our partners, we will continue to condemn Russia’s shuttering of independent media and technology platforms that refuse to allow Putin to run his disinformation campaigns unchecked."

'...disseminate Putin’s lies'

"We condemn the move by the Russian Federation Council to approve a law threatening prison sentences of up to 15 years for journalists and ordinary citizens that would spread so-called “false” information about Putin’s unconscionable war in Ukraine," it added. 

"This includes disinformation that seeks to divide the global community and conceal the Kremlin’s responsibility for this crisis. The United States firmly believes that the best way to accomplish this goal is to hold accountable the propaganda media and disinformation proxies that disseminate Putin’s lies," the press release further stated. 

Russia Ukraine war

Approximately 1.3 million Ukrainians have crossed borders since the violet conflict began in Ukraine on February 24, deemed as Europe's fastest-paced refugee crisis since the Second World War. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) show that to date 1.37 million people fled the eastern European country to nearby nations after Putin ordered his forces to carry out a 'special military operation' in Kyiv. 

"This is the fastest-moving refugee crisis we have seen in Europe since the end of the second world war," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi had stated.