Moscow ? Authorities have dramatically curtailed the number of stations broadcasting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America news programs, officials said Friday, sending an unsettling signal about the state of media freedoms in Russia.

News of the restrictions comes amid growing criticism about the state of democracy under President Vladimir Putin and a week before Russia is host to a summit of leaders from the world’s wealthiest democracies.

Between May 2005 and May 2006, the number of stations broadcasting programming by Radio Liberty fell from 30 to “no more than a handful,” according to Jeffrey Trimble, the service’s acting president. For Voice of America, the 42 affiliates that used its programs in August 2005 has dwindled to just five.

Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are funded by the U.S. government, but with an independent editorial board.