Russia blocks access to The Bell news website

Russia on Sunday blocked access to The Bell, a news outlet founded by one of Russia’s top journalists, the latest website to be taken offline as Moscow cracks down on independent media.
Russia has blocked dozens of news sites since it invaded Ukraine last year, often accusing them of publishing “fake” news about what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The Bell mainly covers business news and was one of the few remaining independent media websites accessible after the authorities blocked Mediazona, Meduza and Novaya Gazeta.
It said last year it was going to stop covering the conflict in Ukraine, citing the danger to its journalists, but continued to publish stories about the invasion’s effects on the economy.
It was founded in 2017 by Yelizaveta Osetinskaya, who formerly edited Vedomosti and the Russian edition of Forbes.
Both Osetinskaya and The Bell had already been labelled “foreign agents” – entities subject to increased scrutiny by the authorities.