The BBC is “temporarily suspending” the work of all its news journalists and support staff in Russia after authorities passed legislation cracking down on foreign outlets. Director-General Tim Davie said the new law appeared to “criminalise the process of independent journalism” in the country. The Russian parliament approved a law on Friday that would make it a criminal offence to spread “fake” or “false” news about the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. It comes after the Kremlin accused the BBC of playing a “determined role in undermining the Russian stability and security”. A statement from Davie said: “This legislation appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism. It leaves us no other option than to temporarily suspend the work of all BBC News journalists and their support staff within the Russian Federation while we assess the full implications of this unwelcome development. “Our BBC News service in Russian will continue to …