Russian online media editor-in-chief replaced after extremism warning
Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor sent Lenta.ru a written warning over the March 10 interview with the leader of the Kiev branch of the Ukrainian nationalist organization Right Sector
MOSCOW, March 12, 18:38 /ITAR-TASS/. The owner of the united company Afisha-Rambler-SUP Alexander Mamut has replaced editor-in-chief of the online media Lenta.ru, Galina Timchenko, with Alexey Goreslavsky.
Timchenko who worked at Lenta.ru since its foundation in 1999 had been in charge of the media since 2004. The new editor-in-chief, Goreslavsky, who took office on Wednesday has been working at Afisha-Rambler-SUP since 2013 as Deputy Director General for external communications. Previously, he was head of the online paper Vzglyad.ru.
On Wednesday, the Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor sent Lenta.ru’s founder and editorial staff a written warning over the March 10 interview with the leader of the Kiev branch of the Ukrainian nationalist organization Right Sector, Andrey Tarasenko. The interview refers to the movement leader Dmitro Yarosh’s statement that “sooner or later, we are doomed to war with the Moscow empire”.
According to the watchdog’s report, the materials in question contain statements aimed to provoke ethnic enmity. Publication of nationalist urges issued by informal extremist groups, for one of whom Russian police has issued an international arrest warrant, breaches a number of Russian laws, goes the report.
Under the Russian law, two written warnings of the supervising authority made within 12 months are a reason for a suit to revoke a media’s registration certificate.