The Russian news agency Sputnik says it is closing its operations in Estonia after nearly three dozen of its employees resigned following what they said was pressure from Estonian police.
They published a statement on January 1 saying 35 people employed in its Estonian unit had ended their labor contracts and resigned, fearing possible criminal prosecution.
Sputnik Estonia, which publishes text and audio online in Russian and Estonian, is controlled by the Russian state media company Rossia Segodnya, which also includes the TV channel formerly known as Russia Today and the news wire RIA-Novosti in its holdings.