Bloomberg News temporarily suspending work of its journalists inside Russia

A man walks past the symbol "Z" painted on a bus stop in support of the Russian armed forces, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Saint Petersburg, Russia March 4, 2022. REUTERS/Staff

(Reuters) - Bloomberg News said on Friday it was temporarily suspending the work of its journalists inside Russia, citing a new law that could mean jail for those found to be intentionally spreading "fake" news.

"The change to the criminal code, which seems designed to turn any independent reporter into a criminal purely by association, makes it impossible to continue any semblance of normal journalism inside the country," Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait said in a statement.