MOSCOW

Russia's media watchdog on Sunday warned opposition media against publishing a recent interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine.

"Roskomnadzor warns Russian media about the need to refrain from publishing this interview," Roskomnadzor said in a statement on its official website.

The statement added that an investigation had been opened "to determine the degree of responsibility and take response measures," without specifying which media are being checked.

Earlier, journalists at TV channel Dozhd (Rain), online portal Medusa, and Kommersant daily said they had an interview with Zelenskyy, as organized by Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov, the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

The news came as Russia’s war on Ukraine is early into its second month, with hundreds of people killed or injured – and a far higher toll suspected – and over 3.82 million Ukrainians having fled to nearby European countries.

Russia has faced widespread condemnation over the war, while the Ukrainian leadership and people have won praise for their defiance of a much larger army and daunting odds.