In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a very long press conference. However, many organizations were not allowed to attend, and the kind of hard-hitting questions we’d expect if there were freedom of the press in Russia were not asked. Three days before the event, The New Times published this brave piece of journalism – […]
Media
Why All the “Decent People” Never Turn Away from Putin
The state-owned media giant RIA Novosti is being restructured, and its editor Svetlana Mironyuk has been replaced by a well-known Putin mouthpiece, Dmitry Kiselyov. Slon.ru, a liberal online magazine, weighs in on the recent development. — Ed. The fall of RIA Novosti is a drama that was deliberately made into a serial. Everyone saw the […]
Video of Dmitry Kiselyov’s First Speech at RIA Novosti
Dmitry Kiselyov, general director of the news agency Russiya Segodnya [Russia Today] promised to preserve all of RIA Novosti’s brands on the base of which a new media will be created. He announced this at a meeting with the RIA Novosti collective, a videotape of which was published on 12 December on Youtube. On 9 December, […]
Who in the West Needs Kiselyov’s Media Group?
This week, the Russian government announced that it was shutting down respected news outlet RIA Novosti and rebranding it as Russia Segodnya (Russia Today). The new head of this venture will be Dmitry Kiselyov, one of the most vocal pro-Kremlin pundits in Russia, notorious for his homophobic comments. He’s said that the goal of Russia Today […]
Russia Today, Russia Segodnya
RIA Novosti is, or perhaps “was,” a state-owned news source that was still regarded as fairly balanced and objective. Its articles, in English and Russian, were typically lacking the kind of pro-Kremlin spin often found in, say, Izvestia. Though some editorials were perhaps more clearly in this line (like the sensational article about the Washington […]
How the Moscow Mayoral Candidates are Winning the Internet
Elections for mayor of Moscow will take place on 8 September. The current campaign is the first one where in the struggle for votes, the candidates have turned to promoting their personas on the Internet along with the traditional methods (advertising in the media and offline campaigning). Lenta.ru has studied the official and unofficial sites […]
Comcon: Navalny’s Rating Approaches 20%
Today we publish two different polls with two different narratives. This one, originally published on the 15th by Vedomosti, suggests that Sobyanin, the incumbent mayor, is losing ground. This assessment clashes with the results of the other poll, as well as the analysis of most experts. However, it may hide the larger headline. Sergei Sobyanin […]
Sergei Sobyanin Will Win in the First Round
Today we publish two different polls with two different narratives. This one, originally published on the 14th by Kommersant, suggests that Sobyanin, the incumbent mayor, will win easily. This assessment matches the analysis of most experts. However, it may hide the larger headline. Sergei Sobyanin is Moscow’s current mayor, though he stepped down, triggering a […]
The Interior Ministry Initiates Criminal Proceedings Against Bloodhound Gang
In response to the “desecration” of the Russian national flag by the American rock band the Bloodhound Gang during a performance in Ukraine, Russia’s Interior Ministry (MVD) is seeking to file criminal charges and try the band’s bassist under Article 329 of the Russian Criminal Code. However, the band and the member under question are […]
Madonna Has Violated Visa Regulations
The Prosecutor General’s Office has responded to a complaint filed by Vitaly Milonov, a member of St. Petersburg legislature, regarding the concerts by Madonna and Lady Gaga. The humanitarian visas issued to the performers, were used for commercial activities, which is against the law. The supervisory authority is considering options to notify the Foreign Ministry and […]