Google will soon close its Russian engineering offices and relocate 50-odd employees, according to The Information. The search giant didn't say why it made the move, but it may have been prompted by a recent crackdown on internet freedoms within the nation. Russia recently passed a law forcing bloggers to register with authorities, and is about to pass another that will require website operators to store data on Russian citizens within its borders. The Putin government also raided a foreign e-business operator, and Google may feel similarly vulnerable considering the reams of user data it stores. Mountain view said that the affected engineers will have the option of transferring to other divisions within the company.

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