Entire staff of Russian TV channel resigns on air over Ukraine war | Watch

The Russian TV channel was asked to temporarily suspend its operations by Russian authorities over its coverage on Ukraine.

The entire staff of a liberal Russian TV channel resigned on air after authorities ordered a shutdown on its broadcasts over the coverage of Moscow's invasion in Ukraine.

The staff of Russuan TV channel Dozhd resigns on air. (Screengrab)

In a viral video, the staff of Russian TV channel Dozhd could be heard declaring “no to war” as they left the studio in union. The channel then played the ‘Swan Lake’ ballet video, which holds a special significance as it was telecasted on state-run channels in Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

"We need strength to exhale and understand how to work further. We really hope that we will return to the air and continue our work," the network's CEO Natalia Sindeyeva wrote on social media.

Earlier this week, Russia's prosecutor general had ordered the country's media watchdog to "restrict access" to the channel as well as the landmark radio station Ekho Moskvy, which also announced it was shutting down.

The ban, authorities said, stems from "purposeful and systematic" posting of "information calling for extremist and violent acts".

They also said the media outlets had been penalised for propagating "deliberately false information about the actions of Russian military personnel" in Ukraine.

The move comes as the latest blow to independent media in Russia, where press freedoms have been waning rapidly, with many media workers and independent outlets being designated as "foreign agents" by authorities.

(With agency inputs)