MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The court ruled against an appeal by a number of lawyers and journalists, claiming the decree to be illegal and in breach with the media's right to receive and impart information on rights violations.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the decree was introduced to benefit Russia's national interests.
On May 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered information on military losses during war and in peacetime during military operations to be classified. Any person found responsible for disclosing such data could be prosecuted for treason, according to the decree.
