The New York Times is moving its editorial staff out of Russia after Vladimir Putin’s government started a major crackdown on journalists who were reporting on the invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin signed into law a censorship statute that threatens prison terms for reporters who disseminate what it calls “fake news” about the Russian military onslaught in Ukraine.

“Russia’s new legislation seeks to criminalize independent, accurate news reporting about the war against Ukraine,” a Times spokesperson told The Post.

“For the safety and security of our editorial staff working in the region, we are moving them out of the country for now.”

The spokesperson added: “We look forward to them returning as soon as possible while we monitor the application of the new law.”

“We will continue our live, robust coverage of the war, and our rigorous reporting on Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and these attempts to stifle independent journalism.”

Bloomberg News also pulled staff from Russia while CNN International and ABC News said they would stop broadcasting from the country in response to the crackdown.

Last week, Russia blocked access to foreign news outlets such as the BBC, the US government-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and Latvia-based website Meduza. 

As part of the information crackdown, Putin also moved to restrict his countrymen’s access to social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter.

The bill, quickly rubber-stamped by both houses of the Kremlin-controlled parliament and signed by Putin, imposes prison sentences of up to 15 years for those spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s narrative on the war.

More than 12,000 Russian military personnel have been killed, according to Ukrainian officials. But the Russian government’s official figures put the number of casualties at several hundred.

As the invasion entered its 13th day on Tuesday, the United Nations said 406 civilians were killed and 801 wounded. At least 2 million Ukrainians have been displaced.

The online group Anonymous claimed on Monday it hacked Russian state TV and streaming services to air footage highlighting the horrors of the war on Ukraine.

The secretive vigilante cyber group late Sunday shared footage of channels that are forced to air pro-Kremlin footage instead showing shocking scenes of missile attacks that killed innocent civilians.