The end of the road for Vedomosti

The Bell

This week saw the end of Vedomosti’s editorial independence after 20 years as one of Russia’s most respected business newspapers. The media outlet’s new owner, Ivan Yeryemin, confirmed Tuesday the appointment of chief editor Andrei Shmarov, who is deeply implicated in censorship and closely tied to state-owned oil giant Rosneft. Most of the newspaper’s senior editors resigned in protest, and almost every other employee is now on their way out.

  • Within hours of Shmarov’s formal confirmation, five of the newspaper’s deputy editors announced they were stepping down. All five had worked at Vedomosti since before 2015 when the then owners (The Financial Times, Dow Jones and Sanoma) were forced to sell. The deputy editors said they were resigning because Shmarov was not prepared to uphold Vedomosti’s journalistic standards and was willing to impose censorship. Other Vedomosti staff did not resign, but former editor Dmitry Simakov said (Rus) “absolutely everyone” — including journalists, photographers and designers — was looking for a job.
  • There wasn’t long to wait before the first incident of censorship. A Vedomosti columnist said (Rus) Friday that one of his articles — about the Kremlin’s efforts to ensure a ‘yes’ vote at the upcoming referendum — was pulled overnight by Shmarov.
  • The Bell’s sources have said that Rosneft press secretary Mikhail Leontiev was closely involved in the initial appointment of Shmarov earlier this year and, since 2017, Rosneft has controlled Vedomosti via a complicated chain of debt. Shmarov has admitted that he carried out censorship on the instructions of Kremlin officials and, according to The Bell’s sources, people linked to the Kremlin are currently helping Vedomosti find new editors.

Why the world should care

For many years, Vedomosti was one of the most trusted sources for Russian news, particularly for economic and business issues. Now, when reading the newspaper, you’ll need to remember that it is censored in line with the wishes of the Kremlin and Rosneft.

The Bell

You might also like

Russia’s brands Putin-backed WWF a “foreign agent” Members Public

A notable addition last week to Russia’s “foreign agent” list was the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Oddly, this charity was funded by VTB, one of Russia’s biggest state-owned banks, for many years. And Putin has publicly lauded its work. However, in recent years the fund has faced

The Bell
Politics

Russia casts long shadow over Georgia’s political crisis Members Public

A major hub for Russian emigration since the war in Ukraine broke out — Georgia — finds itself at the center of a political crisis due to proposed legislation on “foreign agents.” The bill at the center of the row was endorsed by Georgia’s ruling party, which is accused by many

The Bell
Politics

The Bell's Newsletter

An inside look at the Russian economy and politics. Exclusively in your inbox every week.

Featured Posts

THE BELL WEEKLY: The arrest of Pavel Durov