rossiya segodnya
moscow (rossiya segodnya press service) - - on the birthday of rossiya segodnya photojournalist andrei stenin, who was killed in southeastern ukraine, the andrei stenin international press photo contest for young photographers opened its 2018 entry period .
the rossiya segodnya international information agency launches a new project aimed at telling people about revolutionaries from a new perspective .
ahead of his visit to india, vladimir putin gave an interview to rossiya segodnya international news agency and ians news agency .
the rossiya segodnya international information agency will name the winner of the andrei stenin international press photo contest on september 7 at an awards ceremony in moscow .
the liquidation of ria novosti and establishment of rossiya segodnya in its place last december was widely seen as the kremlin tightening its grip on the media .
state - run news agency rossiya segodnya is set to launch a new media project this month in dozens of different languages, rbc daily reported wednesday .
the international press association (api) slams estonian decision to deny accreditation to the rossiya segodnya international information agency reporters for the eu foreign ministers' meeting .
the russian embassy in tallinn on wednesday condemned estonia’s refusal to grant accreditation to three rossiya segodnya international information agency reporters for the eu foreign ministers' meeting in estonia’s capital .
sergey startsev, the director of the office of the rossiya segodnya international information agency in italy, was awarded the constantinus magnus international award in the field of journalism on sunday .
poland will be the next venue after madrid to host the exhibition of the winning entries of the 2017 andrei stenin international press photo contest, organized by the rossiya segodnya media group .
ticket sale revenues at koktebel jazz party in crimea will allow the local school to become the best in the region, the festival’s founder and the rossiya segodnya ceo dmitry kiselev said saturday .
the rossiya segodnya international information agency on friday launched thematic news wires in the russian, english, spanish, chinese and arabic languages, dedicated to the upcoming presidential elections in russia in march 2018 .
rossiya segodnya' s focus on building up russia abroad could solidify putin' s grip on information by further limiting sources of news for russians, whose tv screens are dominated by state - controlled channels .
moscow (sputnik) - rossiya segodnya international information agency has launched a website, operating in russian and english, for the russian and foreign media outlets not accredited to the 2018 fifa world cup matches .
the other arm of the kremlin' s international media operation, the news agency rossiya segodnya (russia today), also got a big rouble boost. it now gets the equivalent of $ 89m .
the new aim of rossiya segodnya, according to sergei ivanov, then president putin’s chief of staff, was “to explain to the world that russia pursues an independent policy and is firmly committed to defending its national interests. ”
description of sources: urltoken is an estonian - language news portal owned by russian state media company rossiya segodnya [ russia today ]. according to the annual report of estonia’s internal security service, rossiya segodnya was established in december 2013 to replace the russian news agency ria novosti and the radio network golos rossii [ voice of russia ]. rossiya segodnya launched a multimedia channel, sputnik, in november 2014 to distribute messages supporting russia’s policy via web portals, radio stations and press centers in 35 languages. sputnik’s baltic operations are led by andrey blagodyrenko of the rossiya segodnya news service. the editorial office includes viktoria jürmann, reportedly a member of the russian intelligence services. sputnik repeatedly delayed the launch of its estonian web portal, mainly because it was hard to find journalists with a sufficient command of the estonian language who were willing to engage in such propaganda. sputnik opened the website on 24 february 2016, estonian independence day .
but rt and rossiya segodnya are by no means the limit of the kremlin' s foreign media operations. it also has the international versions of its main domestic channels, with their powerful mixture of lavish entertainment and emotive news coverage .
], ” rossiya - 24, august 19, 2016, urltoken g (accessed august 21, 2016) .
moscow (sputnik) - russia’s largest information agency, rossiya segodnya, has launched a hotline for the host city press centers for russian and foreign media, which will operate until the end of the 2018 fifa world cup on july 15 .
the head of the european journalist federation (efj) slammed on friday the european union' s decision not to accredit the rossiya segodnya international information agency for a top - level ministerial meeting as a
serious attack on media freedom .
further fueling concerns of independent media being edged out altogether, the russian government last month announced a sizable increase in funding for state - run news agencies, with 6. 48 billion rubles ($ 170 million) allocated for rossiya segodnya alone .
the site contains reprints of news items from inosmi, a ria novosti and rossiya segodnya site dedicated to translating western journalism into russian. and in truth, baltnews headlines are more moderate than those of the openly pro - kremlin local news media .
rossia segodnya would neither confirm nor deny the reports, saying details would be released at a launch event in moscow next month .
since 2012, the kremlin has forced several formerly independent media outlets to toe the line through forced ownership and editorial changes. this has included the 2013 reorganization of ria novosti, once the most independent of the state - run media, into rossiya segodnya .
the move to abolish ria novosti and create a news agency to be known as rossiya segodnya (russia today) is the second in two weeks strengthening putin' s hold on the media, as he tries to reassert his authority after protests against his rule .
kolesnikov also suggests rossia segodnya could potentially be used as a
cover
to improve russian espionage networks or contacts in foreign countries .
the andrei stenin international press photo contest organized by rossiya segodnya under the auspices of the commission of the russian federation for unesco will present the winning works of 2017 in shanghai between october 27 and november 5, 2017 in the press tower of the shanghai united media group .
controversial pro - kremlin tv anchor dmitry kiselyov is heading rossia segodnya, which is reportedly planning a major international expansion. (file photo )
estonia has accounted for its decision to refuse accreditation to three rossiya segodnya international information agency reporters for the eu foreign ministers' meeting in tallinn, referring to an eu parliament resolution which labels the agency a pseudo - news outlet, the country' s government said in a statement .
president vladimir putin' s plans to create a major international news agency called rossiya segodnya, or russia today, is being seen as a significant move in moscow' s strategy to influence world opinion. but it has also raised concerns about further curbs on media freedom in russia itself .
rbc daily cited an unidentified source with knowledge of the situation as saying the project would target an overseas audience and unite several of the news agency' s foreign - language departments. it said rossiya segodnya had confirmed the launch of a new product, but declined to give more details .
the main focus of … rossiya segodnya is to highlight abroad the state policy and public life of the russian federation ,
said a decree signed by putin. sergei ivanov, the president' s chief of staff, told reporters that the changes were intended to save money and improve the state media .
the man spearheading rossiya 1' s attacks on the gay community is dmitry kiselev, anchor of the channel' s flagship weekly news review vesti nedeli .
rfe / rl' s tajik service reported in august that rossia segodnya was set to open a branch in dushanbe that would be staffed by 25 locally hired reporters .
as part of re: baltica ’s ongoing investigation into propaganda sites, especially those with a pro - kremlin slant, reporters found documents that link baltnews to the russian - state multimedia conglomerate rossiya segodnya. this fact is obscured by a chain of owners, seemingly designed to make it appear as though baltnews arose from local organizations .
media capital’s company’s sole owner is a russian - registered company, media - kapital, which is owned by the russian newspaper moskovskiye novosti, which is in turn owned by the state - owned news service ria novosti. ria novosti is now part of the rossiya segodnya state - owned media company, which includes the sputnik news .
a former ria novosti top manager told human rights watch that with rossiya segodnya, the editorial mission of ria novosti changed “from reporting news and facts with professionalism, to becoming servants of the state. no one was forced to quit, there was no purge, but many people [ including me ] chose not to stay. ”
putin created rossiya segodnya (russia today) out of ria novosti (already state - owned) russia beyond the headlines (already state owned) and voice of russia (already state - owned) will come under russia segonya' s management. rt (formerely known as russia today remains as is and is state - owned .
rossia segodnya, or
russia today ,
is a different organization than rt, the lavishly funded pro - kremlin tv network that broadcasts in english, arabic, and spanish .
dmitry kiselev told another programme on rossiya 1 in 2012 that the hearts of homosexuals killed in car accidents
should be buried or burnt as unfit for prolonging anybody' s life
.
he may seem extreme, but kiselyov apparently has the blessing of the kremlin: he' s been selected to head the new russian state media conglomerate, rossiya segodnya, that is due to replace the well - respected ria novosti. he also has a point. russia is still a major nuclear power, with an estimated 8, 500 nuclear warheads, more than the united states .
the liquidation of ria novosti and establishment of rossiya segodnya in its place last december — and the appointment of the outspoken kiselyov to the helm — was widely seen as the kremlin tightening its grip on the media. the reshuffling of staff at independent news websites like urltoken has also sounded alarm bells, as longtime editors known for their independent coverage were replaced by editors with known ties to the kremlin .
the euromaidan in kyiv (late autumn 2013) became a watershed that dramatically changed both the course and essence of russian anti - western / european propaganda. the new era in the history of russian disinformation was ushered in on december 9 th 2013 when vladimir putin signed an executive order giving birth to the rossiya segodnya multilingual news agency that was to become the main outlet of russian propaganda for external audiences. in 2014, the sputnik news agency (operating in more than 30 languages) comprised of news websites, radio broadcast services and directly controlled by rossiya segodnya, was introduced. in 2013, another russian news website lifenews (consisting of a news website and 24 - hour television channel) emerged. it has been repeatedly accused not only of being extremely biased, but also suspected of being connected with russian security services .
in december, mr putin appointed dmitry kiselyov, a conservative television presenter with outspoken views on homosexuality, as the head of the new state news agency rossiya segodnya. mr kiselyov had previously made statements that gay people should be banned from donating blood, sperm or organs, telling a television audience in 2012 that
their hearts should be burnt or buried in the ground as unsuitable for the continuation of life .
mr kiselev himself told state news channel rossiya 24 he saw his
mission
in his new job as restoring a
just attitude to russia as an important country in the world which has good intentions
.
another staunchly anti - gay voice on rossiya 1 is senior journalist arkady mamontov, who on a prime - time talk show suggested that russia was in danger of being engulfed by a
homosexual sodomite tsunami
.
known back in the 1990s as one of the faces of
independent journalism
, mr kiselev has recently become notorious for his extreme and sometimes bizarre diatribes in his role as a top anchor on official channel rossiya 1 .
the three news portals’ web addresses are registered to the company media capital holding b. v. it is located in a tiny two - story red - brick building in small town of hilversum, netherlands. real estate website identifies it as a residential flat. the company was registered in 2013 with core capital of 1 eur. e - mails sent to an e - mail address indicated in the domain registry and to the press service of rossiya segodnya went unanswered .
rossia segodnya was established by a kremlin decree last december. the media holding company integrates the state news agency ria novosti and state radio station voice of russia into a single media monolith helmed by controversial pro - kremlin news anchor dmitry kiselyov .
dmitry kiselyov, the controversial head of rossiya segodnya, will unveil the new project together with margarita simonyan, the agency' s editor - in - chief, at a private presentation on nov. 10, the newspaper reported. the project, which reportedly has the working title
sputnik ,
will be presented to the press at a later news conference, it said. simonyan is also editor - in - chief of the state - sponsored english - language news channel rt .
rossiya segodnya (formerly ria novosti) photo library was founded in the 1940s and offers a collection of over one million images related to russia and the former soviet union. the archive covers all aspects of russian and soviet history and experience. main subjects include: personalities (historic, political, cultural and foreign); ballet, music and film; paintings and posters; space exploration; world war two; defence; geography; politics; economy; stock images of russia today .
the media monitoring organisation medialogiya says the number of news reports referring to homosexuality on official tv channel rossiya 1 has skyrocketed over the past few years. in 2011, there were just 11, whereas in 2013 there were more than 160 .
not all of russia' s state - controlled tv channels share rossiya 1' s taste for gay - bashing. channel one' s news programmes, for example, refer to homosexuality far less frequently and never in the same derogatory terms .
he is best known as presenter of vesti nedeli (news of the week), a weekly news programme on the domestic rossiya 1 television network. his show is accused of being a soapbox to promote the kremlin' s policies, disparage homosexuality, denigrate the west and speculate about western - led conspiracies as well as attack the political opposition to putin. prior to rossiya 1, dmitry was employed by soviet central television as well as the ukrainian television channel ictv between 2000 and 2003 .
andrei kolesnikov, a political analyst and columnist for the opposition - minded
novaya gazeta
newspaper, says the rossia segodnya expansion is intended to complement the kremlin' s use of rt as a
propaganda
tool to burnish russia' s image abroad .
the decree, effective immediately, transfers all ria novosti property to a new conglomerate called
rossiya segodonya ,
which means
russia today .
russia segodonya will provide
coverage of russian state policy and public life in the federation ,
the decree said .
moscow - - rossia segodnya, russia' s state - run media conglomerate, is reportedly preparing to open local bureaus in 29 world capitals, a move expanding the kremlin' s global media presence amid what senior russian officials call an
information war
with the west .
“this week the coalition has shown its full strength, ” mr. kiselyov said on his weekly talk show, “vesti nedeli, ” or “news of the week, ” on the state television network, rossiya. “it looked like a thirst for revenge for poltava. ”
the controversial kiselyov, known for espousing anti - gay and anti - american views, will head russia today. he most recently served as the deputy head of state - owned rossiya television channel, where he anchored a show every sunday featuring vitriolic attacks on opposition politicians .
he cited the recent case of leonid sviridov, a russian reporter working for rossia segodnya in poland, who on october 25 was stripped of his accreditation at the request of polish security services. kiselyov has demanded an explanation for the move, though polish authorities have yet to make such an explanation public .
russia has increased spending on its foreign media operations, earmarking 15. 38 billion rubles ($ 362. 2 million) for rt in 2015, an increase of nearly 30 percent from last year. next year' s budget for rossia segodnya has been almost tripled to 6. 48 billion rubles ($ 152. 6 million) .
the two agencies will be absorbed into a new state media organization known as rossiya sevodnya, or russia today. in a separate decree, mr. putin appointed dmitry k. kiselyov as executive director of the organization. mr. kiselyov, a television executive and host, is an avowed pro - kremlin figure who has provoked controversy with starkly homophobic remarks and virulent commentary suggesting foreign conspiracies are threatening russia .
that an official news agency could be considered hostile to its own government reflected some deep divisions within russia’s political elite. the new agency’s name, rossiya sevodnya, is the original name of the kremlin’s international television network, now re - branded simply as rt and known for its jaundiced view of the united states and other western countries. the decree, which takes effect immediately, did not link the two organizations .
a totally different turn is visible in propaganda for “domestic consumption”. the notorious pro - kremlin journalist, zealous anti - semite, open xenophobe and homophobe dmitry kiselyov (head of rossiya segodnya and deputy director of russian state tv holding company vgtrk) became the living embodiment of anti - european propaganda. his weekly media appearances on the russia - 1 television channel were filled with misanthropic ideas and hatred amply permeated with anti - ukrainian, anti - european, anti - american and anti - jewish sentiments. in his allegations kiselyov extensively relied on pseudo - historical and quasi - scientific facts and data. for instance, his anti - eu rhetorical escapades resulted in a wild revelation about an existing anti - russian “alliance” between the “european russophobes”. according to kiselyov, lithuania, poland and sweden “are still dreaming of taking revenge on russia for the poltava battle in 1709”. this and other numerous preposterous allegations completed the overall atmosphere of obscurantism and paranoia to which the russian audience is being subjected .
the new agency is to be headed by dmitry kiselev, one of russian tv' s most notorious anchors, known for his extreme anti - western and homophobic views .
mr putin' s decree liquidating state - owned news agency ria novosti and the kremlin' s international radio station, voice of russia, and replacing them with russia today came like a bolt from the blue .
both ria novosti and voice of russia have been stalwarts of the media scene for several decades. they were founded way back in the soviet past, in 1941 and 1929, respectively .
ria novosti has been a particularly valued outlet which, although state - owned, has reflected a diversity of opinion in some of its output. its court reporting service rapsi also recently won an award for, among other things, its live transmissions of the trial of opposition leader alexei navalny .
pro - kremlin commentator sergey markov wrote on facebook that the agency' s demise may be linked to its coverage of anti - putin protests in 2012 and the apparent sympathy of some of its journalists for the opposition .
mr putin' s decree states that russia today' s role will be to transmit to foreign audiences information about the
russian federation' s state policy and public life in russia
.
it seems likely, therefore, that it will complement the work of the state - funded foreign - language tv station, rt, which when it was launched in 2005 was also known as russia today .
the new agency will be a
huge machine for propaganda in the west
, tweeted liberal website editor roman fedoseyev .
the new russia today does not appear to be directly connected with its namesake - rt' s editor - in - chief margarita simonyan said on twitter that she found out about its launch from a moscow radio station. still, the choice of name for the new agency can hardly be a coincidence .
mr putin has made no secret of his admiration for the work of ms simonyan and her colleagues at rt, which since a revamp following the 2008 russia - georgia war has become one of the world' s most controversial and talked - about international news channels - primarily thanks to its relentless diet of anti - western reporting on such issues as the conflict in syria .
during a visit to rt' s studios in june, mr putin congratulated the staff on their successful efforts to
break the monopoly of anglo - saxon media on the world' s news
.
earlier, in october 2012, he vetoed finance ministry plans to reduce rt' s annual funding of more than $ 340m (£250m) .
the most controversial aspect of russia today' s launch was the appointment of mr kiselev as its director - general .
he has likened kremlin opponents at home and abroad to the nazis, used a swedish children' s tv show about toilet training to exemplify
western values
, and repeatedly demonised homosexuals .
arguably his most controversial outburst was when he said that russia' s controversial law banning the promotion of homosexuality among children was not tough enough on gays .
they should be banned from donating blood and sperm, and if they are killed in a car crash their hearts should be buried in the ground or burnt as unfit for helping to prolong anyone' s life ,
he told viewers .
opposition leader alexei navalny noted ironically on his blog that mr kiselev was the
ideal
man to front the
state propaganda machine
.
but anna kachkayeva, dean of media and communications at moscow' s higher school of economics, called his appointment
odious
. she also told editorially independent radio station ekho moskvy that the launch of the new russia today appeared to mark a return to the
soviet and propagandistic past
.
the kremlin has long controlled russia' s leading tv channels (still the main source of news for most russians), and it has further tightened its control on the media scene with a series of laws passed since mr putin began his third term as president in may 2012 .
opposition commentators think the demise of ria novosti and its replacement with russia today could be another ominous sign for media freedom in russia .
we are getting closer and closer to total censorship. they will deal with smaller media even more shamelessly ,
tweeted ekho moskvy presenter vladimir varfolomeyev .
bbc monitoring reports and analyses news from tv, radio, web and print media around the world. for more reports from bbc monitoring, click here. you can follow bbc monitoring on twitter and facebook .
the foreign secretary quits, telling theresa may
needless self - doubt
is leading to
semi - brexit
.
valdimir putin has the power to appoint and dismiss the chief of russia today. photograph: alexei druzhinin / ap
the russian president, vladimir putin, tightened control over his country' s media on monday by dissolving the main state news agency and replacing it with an organisation aimed at promoting moscow' s image abroad .
most russian media outlets are already loyal to putin, and opponents get little airtime, but the shakeup underlined their importance to putin' s hold on power and the kremlin' s concern about the president' s ratings and image .
the head of the agency to be built from the ashes of ria novosti is a conservative news anchor, dmitry kiselyov, who has proved a loyal putin supporter, at times making provocative remarks. in 2010 he said homosexuals should be banned from donating blood or sperm and last year he said they should also be banned from donating organs .
but the new organisation has strong similarities to apn, a soviet - era news agency whose role included writing articles about
the social - economic and cultural life of the soviet people and items reflecting soviet society' s point of view on important internal and international events
.
ria said in an english - language article :
the move is the latest in a series of shifts in russia' s news landscape which appear to point towards a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector .
putin' s decree appeared to have little effect on the two other major russian news agencies, the state - run itar - tass and private interfax, but it could benefit both by making ria' s replacement less of a competitor domestically .
itar - tass is the successor of the soviet - era official tass agency, while interfax has more leeway as a private agency but is restricted by the kremlin' s dominance .
the kremlin extended its grip over radio and television broadcasting on november 26 when the media arm of state - controlled gazprom bought mining tycoon vladimir potanin' s profmedia .
through the deal, the former soviet gas ministry – now russia' s largest firm by revenue – will add tv and radio stations, cinemas and film production and distribution assets to a sprawling portfolio built up around commercial channel ntv .
the kremlin already funds an english - language tv channel called rt, which was initially known as russia today. it is not clear whether the two will operate separately and rt' s head, margarita simonyan, said she had been unaware of the move .
the new organisation will be created in ria novosti' s headquarters in central moscow, but the fate of the agency' s journalists and other employees was not immediately clear .
ria novosti was created as the soviet information bureau in 1941, after nazi germany invaded the soviet union, and issues reports in russian and foreign languages .
singer has previously said he felt obligated to perform in russia:' as a gay man, i can' t leave these people on their own.'
© 2018 guardian news and media limited or its affiliated companies. all rights reserved .
the editor of russian international broadcaster rt, margarita simonyan, is to head a new news agency, as the kremlin consolidates its media hold .
simonyan, 33, will merge her rt post with the role of editor - in - chief at russia today, which will replace state - owned news agency ria novosti .
president vladimir putin shut down ria novosti, which was respected for its news coverage, earlier this month .
under her leadership, rt has developed into a major international broadcaster with services in english, arabic and spanish, but is regarded by many as solidly pro - kremlin .
the channel recently said its signal was carried by 22 satellites and more than 230 operators, allowing for some 630 million people to watch it in more than 100 countries .
russia today' s managing director will be controversial journalist and keen kremlin supporter dmitry kiselev, who is known for his ultra - conservative views, such as saying that gay people should be banned from giving blood, and that their hearts should be burnt rather than used in transplants .
theresa may moves to shore up her position after a day of high profile resignations over her brexit strategy .
our website uses cookies to improve its performance and enhance your user experience. through cookies, certain personal data is collected and may be stored temporarily. you can change your cookie settings through your browser. more info: privacy policy
all kick - off times local. kaliningrad = utc + 2, samara = utc + 4, ekaterinburg = utc + 5, moscow and other venues = utc + 3
iranian women are sharing videos of themselves dancing on social media after an iranian teenager was arrested last week for uploading videos of herself dancing on instagram .
a woman in new jersey died on thursday while in hospice care just hours after a utility company cut electrical service to her home due to unpaid bills. the woman was breathing with the assistance of an oxygen tank that her family struggled to replace in the hours before her death .
a disturbing video of an el paso, texas, police officer pointing his gun at a group of children has sparked outrage, resulting in the officer being placed on desk duty while the altercation is investigated .
members of us president donald trump' s private clubs in florida were reportedly invited to tour air force one in 2017, a move raising questions about the separation between the trump administration and the president' s private businesses .
beijing - based space launch company landspace recently revealed that its suzaku no. 2, the largest privately - owned rocket developed in the country so far, will be launched in 2020 .
a former member of hillary clinton' s 2016 presidential campaign staff has refuted the rumors that the two - time white house hopeful is planning to run again in 2020 .
the syrian president held a meeting at the foreign affairs ministry on monday discussing the internal, regional and international political situation and syria' s foreign and domestic policy objectives .
though earlier in the day uk counter - terrorism officer neil basu was unable to confirm that a toxic substance allegedly used for the poisoning of dawn sturgess was similar to those claimed to be used for the attack on skripals, the uk defense secretary blamed the incident on russia .
who' s novichok? ?? - what is happening in the uk ...
on this episode of fault lines, hosts garland nixon and lee stranahan discuss the newest story of possible' novichok' poisoning coming out of the united kingdom. george galloway and professor dave collum both join as guests to provide commentary on this bizarre case .
trump advisor rudy giuliani called for regime change against iran last weekend, and with a new wave of protests hitting the country over fears about the consequences of the us' forthcoming reimposed sanctions, it looks like washington wants to bring down the islamic republic through weaponized economic means .
on this episode of the critical hour with dr. wilmer leon all eyes, ears and prayers are directed toward a cave in thailand .
strength of theresa may' s brexit position is that tories are so divided - prof .
professor martin smith, professor of politics at the university of york has spoken with sputnik on the resignation of brexit secretary david davis amid disagreements with uk prime minister theresa may' s plan for exiting the european union .
paris and berlin are ramping up defense spending ahead of the nato summit in brussels, with president trump continuing to pound allies on twitter about how
unfair
it is that washington foots 90% of the alliance' s defense spending bill. speaking to sputnik, brookings researcher michael o' hanlon explained what concerns him about trump' s strategy .
on the eve of venezuela' s independence day, which was celebrated on july 5, a news report published by ap, specifying donald trump’s remarks on invading venezuela, has once again raised concerns in the latin american country .
dawn sturgess and her boyfriend, charlie rowley were taken to a salisbury hospital a week ago. according to the police statement, mr. rowley who was also taken ill following exposure to the nerve agent remains in critical condition .
the us national and federal debts are unlikely to spell doom to the country' s economy while the us dollar maintains its status as a dominant reserve currency, american economist, author and former civil servant dr. paul craig roberts told sputnik, shedding light on more pressing issues for the us economy .
while the authorities in brussels are preparing for the annual nato leaders meeting, peace activists from all over the world have also gathered in the city to protest against the alliance’s plans and to voice their concerns at a counter - summit. sputnik met with co - president of the international peace bureau reiner braun to discuss nato’s policies .
please confirm your e - mail to continue. confirmation instructions have been sent to
your account has been deleted! you can restore your account within 30 days by following the link sent to the e - mail address you entered during registration .
the fact of registration and authorization of users on sputnik websites via users’ account or accounts on social networks indicates acceptance of these rules .
users are obliged abide by national and international laws. users are obliged to speak respectfully to the other participants in the discussion, readers and individuals referenced in the posts .
the websites’ administration has the right to delete comments made in languages ​​other than the language of the majority of the websites’ content .
in all language versions of the urltoken websites any comments posted can be edited .
doesn’t follow standard rules of the english language, for example, is typed fully or mostly in capital letters or isn’t broken down into sentences .
the administration has the right to block a user’s access to the page or delete a user’s account without notice if the user is in violation of these rules or if behavior indicating said violation is detected .
an explanation of the actions which were in violation of the rules above and resulted in the lock .
if the moderators deem it possible to restore the account / unlock access, it will be done .
in the case of repeated violations of the rules above resulting in a second block of a user’s account, access cannot be restored .
the russian authorities have been widely criticised for enacting a law banning the promotion of homosexuality among children .
a rising tide of homophobia in parts of the media has accompanied and followed the adoption of that law, including attempts to implicate homosexuals in a recent series of terror attacks .
the controversy surrounding the so - called
anti - gay
law passed by the state duma (parliament) last june had the paradoxical effect of dramatically raising the profile of homosexuality in both social and mainstream media. but it has also led to an upsurge in homophobia .
on twitter, for example, the incidence of the main pejorative terms used to describe gays (
pidoras
and its variants) increased ten - fold between the beginning of 2011 and the second half of 2013 - from around 7, 000 a month to more than 70, 000 .
the incidence of the more educated but no less offensive term
sodomite
also soared - from being used just two or three times a day at the beginning of 2011 to more than 100 times at the end of 2013 .
these increases may in part be attributable to the overall growth of twitter in russia during this period, but similar trends can also be observed in the mainstream media .
almost all of these reports displayed an attitude that was either outright hostile or else noticeably negative towards homosexuals .
the programme' s attacks on the lgbt community have been remorseless. it has portrayed them as an
aggressive minority
opposed to
parents fighting to give their children a healthy upbringing
. it has also suggested that
40% of children brought up by homosexuals have venereal diseases
.
some of its programmes have exhibited a much more positive attitude to homosexuals. a recent drama series about the soviet film industry featured a sympathetic gay character being cruelly persecuted for his sexuality .
still, there is no doubt that hostile attitudes to homosexuals have the blessing of the kremlin. in december, dmitry kiselev was appointed head of russia today, a major new news organisation tasked with communicating moscow' s message to a global audience .
liberal commentators are deeply troubled by the rising tide of homophobia. russian - born us activist larry poltavtsev writes that just as everything jewish was anathema to the nazis, so
now everything that stands apart from president putin and his team is deemed to be' gay' .
he cited a news agency report referring to a
gay jihad
, which suggested that homosexuality was rife among the terrorists responsible for the recent bomb attacks in the city of volgograd .
this is not the only instance of fingers of blame being pointed at the gay community over the blasts. controversial orthodox clergyman andrei kurayev suggested that one of the bombers may have converted to islam because of the
cancer
of homosexuality in the russian orthodox church (roc) in the russian region of tatarstan .
russian orthodox church clergy have in general supported the hostility towards homosexuals. one tv presenter, olga bakushinskaya, dubs it
orthodox fascism
.
in december an actor and former orthodox priest, ivan okhlobystin, outraged liberals by telling an audience in siberia that he would
shove all gays live into an oven
. mr okhlobystin is one of russia' s most influential voices on social media, with more than 790, 000 followers on twitter .
laws targeting homosexuals and mounting media homophobia are making life ever more precarious for russia' s beleaguered gay community .
a recent report by the russian lgbt network said lgbt people were facing a climate of
general discrimination and violence
. it said a survey showed that over the past year 53% had faced
psychological violence
and 15% actual physical harm. in at least two cases in 2013, this violence proved fatal .
jeremy hunt is named as the new foreign secretary after boris johnson quits over the pm' s brexit strategy .
urltoken no longer supports internet explorer 9 or earlier. please upgrade your browser .
moscow — president vladimir v. putin exerted new control over russia’s state news media on monday, dissolving by decree one of russia’s official news agencies, ria novosti, along with its international radio broadcaster as he continues a drive to strengthen the kremlin’s influence at home and abroad .
the decision shutters a decades - old state - run news agency widely viewed as offering professional and semi - independent coverage, while putting a reconstituted news service in the hands of a kremlin loyalist. since returning for a third time as president last year, mr. putin has taken several steps that critics have denounced as a strangulation of political rights and open debate, concentrating power in an ever tighter circle of allies .
the decree comes at a time when russia has become increasingly assertive on the world stage, most recently in the tug of war with the european union over political and economic relations with ukraine, a country with deep historical and cultural links that mr. putin and others here believe bind it to russia, not the west .
the kremlin’s intense lobbying and strong - arming of ukraine’s embattled president, viktor f. yanukovich, have been a principal grievance of the hundreds of thousands who have poured into the streets in the last two weeks. the reorganization of russia’s state news media occurred only days after a meeting between the two leaders — and unconfirmed rumors that they had reached a secret deal to forge a strategic partnership — served to intensify the protests .
mr. putin’s presidential chief of staff, sergei b. ivanov, said the decision to close the news service was part of an effort to reduce costs and make the state news media more efficient. but ria novosti’s report on its own demise said the changes “appear to point toward a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector. ” its executive editor, svetlana mironyuk, the first woman to lead the agency, appeared before her stunned colleagues and apologized for failing to preserve what she called the best news organization ever built by state money, according to a video recording of the meeting .
the decrees caught the agencies’ employees, its executives and even some government officials by surprise. mr. putin made the changes without prior notice or public debate, as is often the case here. his decree said that the new agency would focus on providing news about russia to an international audience; the agency’s directors will be directly appointed by the president’s office .
the reasons behind the timing were unclear and, to many, puzzling. ria novosti is one of the official sponsors of the winter olympics to be held in the russian resort of sochi in february, and its employees have been deeply involved in organizing preparations for news coverage there. there have been some calls for boycotting the games, citing russian policies, including a new law prohibiting advocacy of nontraditional sexual relationships, that have prompted harsh criticism from rights organizations .
“russia has its own independent politics and strongly defends its national interests, ” mr. ivanov, a close ally of mr. putin’s, said in remarks to reporters, according to ria novosti. “it’s difficult to explain this to the world, but we can do this and we must do this. ”
he suggested that russia had had some difficulties in successfully explaining its views abroad. “we must tell the truth, make it accessible to the most people possible, and use modern language and the best available technologies in doing so, ” he added .
ria novosti’s roots extend to world war ii, when it was founded as the soviet information bureau two days after the nazi invasion of the soviet union. according to the agency, it has correspondents in 45 countries and provides reports in russian and 13 other languages .
dmitry k. kiselyov, a kremlin backer, was appointed the head of a new news agency .
it was renamed after the collapse of the soviet union in 1991, and while it continued to serve as an official news agency, its reporting earned greater respect for its balance and diversity of viewpoints .
that troubled at least some here. maxim l. shevchenko, a prominent television personality, called the reorganization “a sensible step” in a post on twitter. “the nest of anti - russian media forces has been destroyed, ” he wrote .
from the new york times. you may opt - out at any time .
you agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for the new york times' s products and services .
aleksei a. navalny, the anticorruption blogger and opposition leader, lamented the demise of a “strong soviet brand” in his own posting on twitter and said russia today, as a brand, was “something repulsive. ”
andrei miroshnichenko, an independent media critic here, said ria novosti and the other state news agency, itar - tass, had in effect competed for resources and influence .
he said ria novosti had become the most respected news agency in the former soviet union, one he associated closely with the presidency of dmitri a. medvedev, who has served as prime minister since mr. putin returned to the presidency last year. in that way, dismantling the news service is another step by mr. putin to erase any legacy of mr. medvedev’s presidency, and his “modernization initiative. ”
the new agency, mr. miroshnichenko said, would now revert to its mission before the dawn of “the post - soviet era” as an arm of “foreign propaganda, ” while itar - tass would focus on domestic news .
the most pointed criticism of mr. putin’s decrees focused on the choice of mr. kiselyov as the new agency’s director. he is known for sharp commentaries in defense of mr. putin’s russia that often reflect his belief that there are foreign conspiracies aimed at weakening the nation. he has described the current protests in ukraine as a provocation by a coalition of sweden, poland and lithuania like the one that peter the great defeated in 1709 in the battle of poltava in what is modern ukraine .
remarks he made last year resurfaced during the recent debate over the new prohibitions on “propaganda” of nontraditional sexual relationships. “i think it is too little to fine gays for homosexual propaganda, ” he said. “they should be forbidden from donating blood, sperm. and in the case of an automobile accident, their hearts should be buried in the ground or burned. ”
there were calls for a criminal inquiry for his remarks, but none were undertaken. mr. kiselyov denied that he or the remarks he made were homophobic .
his views on journalism, he acknowledged in a recent interview with the online news organization lenta. ru, had evolved significantly, particularly after he worked in ukraine during the previous political protests there that became known as the orange revolution .
“i understood that objective journalism, distilled, is absolutely not in demand, ” he said in the interview. “the basic difference between post - soviet and western journalism is that for us it is necessary to create values and not to renew them, to produce values and not to reproduce them, as is basically done in the west. ”
we’re interested in your feedback on this page. tell us what you think .
accessibility concerns? email us at accessibility @ urltoken. we would love to hear from you .
the browser or device you are using is out of date. it has known security flaws and a limited feature set. you will not see all the features of some websites. please update your browser .
cars pass by the former russian ria novosti information agency headquarters in moscow, russia on monday .
russian president vladimir putin on monday signed a decree dissolving state - run news agency ria novosti and state - owned voice of russia radio, and appointed ultraconservative television anchor dmitry kiselyov to head a newly - formed media conglomerate .
the name of the new conglomerate has caused confusion as there is no indication the new russia today will be affiliated with rt, the kremlin - funded english - language television network formerly know by same name. rt head margarita simonyan told russian news site urltoken on monday that she was not informed of the changes before the kremlin issued its decree .
i heard about it on the radio ,
simonyan said, adding that she hoped to be informed by the kremlin about the relationship between her network, rt, and the new russia today .
sergei ivanov, putin' s chief of staff, told reporters on monday that the changes in the state news apparatus would cut costs and make state media more effective.
rossiya segodnya ( russian : россия сегодня , tr . rossíya sevódnya ; ipa : [ rɐˈsʲijə sʲɪˈvodʲnʲə ] ) is a news agency wholly owned and operated by the russian government , created by an executive order of the president of russia on december 9 , 2013 . " rossiya segodnya " directly translates from russian into english as " russia today " , but should not be confused with the tv network rt , which was known as russia today prior to 2009 . however , the station is sometimes referred to as " russia today " or the " new russia today " in foreign media . rossiya segodnya incorporates the former ria novosti news service and the international radio service voice of russia ( formerly radio moscow ) . according to the decree of the president of russia , the mandate of the new agency is to " provide information on russian state policy and russian life and society for audiences abroad . " vladimir putin 's chief of staff , sergei ivanov , said that rossiya segodnya was being created in order to increase the cost efficiency in russian state media . however , ria novosti 's own report about the move speculated it was an attempt to consolidate state control over the media sector and western news outlets stated that this was also a move by putin to propagate a more pleasant image of russia abroad . according to a report on the rt news channel , rossiya segodnya is " in no way related " to the rt news channel despite the similarity in name ( rt was known as russia today prior to its rebranding in 2009 ) . however , a report by the bbc states that it " seems likely [ ... ] that [ rossiya segodnya ] will complement the work of the state-funded foreign-language tv station , rt. " on 31 december 2013 , margarita simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of the news agency , as well as being rt 's news channel editor-in-chief . she will serve in both positions concurrently . on 10 november 2014 , the agency launched the sputnik multimedia platform with radio sputnik as its audio component , replacing the voice of russia . the radio service is available internationally on fm , digital dab/dab + ( digital radio broadcasting ) , hd-radio , as well as mobile phones and the internet . within russia itself , rossiya segodnya continues to use the ria novosti brand as its russian-language news agency using the website ria.ru . 
rossiya segodnya (russian: россия сегодня, tr. rossíya sevódnya; ipa: [ rɐˈsʲijə sʲɪˈvodʲnʲə ]) is a news agency wholly owned and operated by the russian government, created by an executive order of the president of russia on december 9, 2013. " rossiya segodnya " directly translates from russian into english as " russia today ", but should not be confused with the tv network rt, which was known as russia today prior to 2009. however, the station is sometimes referred to as " russia today " or the " new russia today " in foreign media. rossiya segodnya incorporates the former ria novosti news service and the international radio service voice of russia (formerly radio moscow). according to the decree of the president of russia, the mandate of the new agency is to " provide information on russian state policy and russian life and society for audiences abroad. " vladimir putin's chief of staff, sergei ivanov, said that rossiya segodnya was being created in order to increase the cost efficiency in russian state media. however, ria novosti's own report about the move speculated it was an attempt to consolidate state control over the media sector and western news outlets stated that this was also a move by putin to propagate a more pleasant image of russia abroad. according to a report on the rt news channel, rossiya segodnya is " in no way related " to the rt news channel despite the similarity in name (rt was known as russia today prior to its rebranding in 2009). however, a report by the bbc states that it " seems likely [... ] that [ rossiya segodnya ] will complement the work of the state-funded foreign-language tv station, rt. " on 31 december 2013, margarita simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of the news agency, as well as being rt's news channel editor-in-chief. she will serve in both positions concurrently. on 10 november 2014, the agency launched the sputnik multimedia platform with radio sputnik as its audio component, replacing the voice of russia. the radio service is available internationally on fm, digital dab/dab + (digital radio broadcasting), hd-radio, as well as mobile phones and the internet. within russia itself, rossiya segodnya continues to use the ria novosti brand as its russian-language news agency using the website ria.ru.
rossiya segodnya (russian: россия сегодня, tr. rossíya sevódnya; ipa: [ rɐˈsʲijə sʲɪˈvodʲnʲə ]) is a news agency wholly owned and operated by the russian government, created by an executive order of the president of russia on december 9, 2013. " rossiya segodnya " directly translates from russian into english as " russia today ", but should not be confused with the tv network rt, which was known as russia today prior to 2009. however, the station is sometimes referred to as " russia today " or the " new russia today " in foreign media. rossiya segodnya incorporates the former ria novosti news service and the international radio service voice of russia (formerly radio moscow). according to the decree of the president of russia, the mandate of the new agency is to " provide information on russian state policy and russian life and society for audiences abroad. " vladimir putin's chief of staff, sergei ivanov, said that rossiya segodnya was being created in order to increase the cost efficiency in russian state media. however, ria novosti's own report about the move speculated it was an attempt to consolidate state control over the media sector and western news outlets stated that this was also a move by putin to propagate a more pleasant image of russia abroad. according to a report on the rt news channel, rossiya segodnya is " in no way related " to the rt news channel despite the similarity in name (rt was known as russia today prior to its rebranding in 2009). however, a report by the bbc states that it " seems likely [... ] that [ rossiya segodnya ] will complement the work of the state-funded foreign-language tv station, rt. " on 31 december 2013, margarita simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of the news agency, as well as being rt's news channel editor-in-chief. she will serve in both positions concurrently. on 10 november 2014, the agency launched the sputnik multimedia platform with radio sputnik as its audio component, replacing the voice of russia. the radio service is available internationally on fm, digital dab/dab + (digital radio broadcasting), hd-radio, as well as mobile phones and the internet. within russia itself, rossiya segodnya continues to use the ria novosti brand as its russian-language news agency using the website ria.ru.