Russian TV Rubs Out Putin Foes

'The Guardian' correspondent wrote articles critical of Putin

(NEWSER) - This won't help the perception that Vladimir Putin is a wee bit thin-skinned: When a British reporter tried to re-enter Russia after writing a series of damning articles based on the WikiLeaks cables, he got this message from a security official: "For you, Russia is closed," reports the Guardian . The newspaper's Moscow correspondent, Luke Harding, got stopped at the airport, detained in a cell for about an hour, then sent home on the first available flight. More»

(NEWSER) - South Park has angered another vigilant parent—Mother Russia. A Russian channel cut a scene from a rerun this week because it depicted Vladimir Putin as greedy and desperate, a network spokesman announced today. It's unclear whether the decision came from the channel's executives or regulators, but the move prompted fierce criticism from Russian bloggers. More»

Novaya Gazeta 's work has earned it a grim legacy of dead reporters

(NEWSER) - The murders of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and reporter Anastasia Baburova last week are only the latest to strike the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, and show just how costly freedom of the press still is in Russia, Der Spiegel reports. Investigative reporters are likely to make so many enemies—from members of the military to corrupt politicians, businessmen, or gangsters—that Gazeta wants to provide its reporters with guns. More»

Chechen crime group, government officers implicated

(NEWSER) - Ten men were arrested today in the murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya last October, the Guardian reports. A Chechen organized-crime boss led the group responsible for the slaying, Russian authorities say. Those arrested are said to include current and former officials in the interior ministry and the security service. More»

Rally draws tens of thousands

(NEWSER) - Despite brutally cold temperatures, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Moscow today, calling on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to step down from power, reports the AP . Protesters marched on the Kremlin, carrying signs that read "For Free Elections" and "Russia Without Putin." Authorities had given permission for the rally, but not for the location by the Kremlin. "So many of us have come that they can't arrest all of us," said one protester. More»