Alexei Venediktov was fired from his post as editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy | News from Germany about Russia | DW

The board of directors of Ekho Moskvy, a closed joint-stock company that is part of the Gazprom-Media holding, by a majority of votes, decided to terminate the employment contract with Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station. He informed the Interfax agency about this and wrote in his own Telegram channel. The next term of office of the editor-in-chief expired in 2024.

In a conversation with Interfax, he noted that he worked as the editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy for exactly 24 years. “I will develop my historical project – the Diletant magazine, shop.diletant.ru and the Diletant channel on YouTube. To do this, I will need journalists who will do it,” Venediktov said, answering a question about his plans.

Strangulation of the radio station “Echo of Moscow”

On March 1, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation accused Ekho Moskvy and the Dozhd TV channel of purposefully and systematically posting information with “calls for extremist activity, violence, as well as deliberately false information regarding the actions of Russian military personnel” in the war with Ukraine. That same evening, Ekho Moskvy was disconnected from broadcasting in the Russian Federation, the radio station’s website, as well as the website of Dozhd, was blocked. “Echo” and “Rain” announced their intention to appeal the decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office in court.

On March 3, the Board of Directors of CJSC “Echo of Moscow” decided to close the radio station and its website. Minority shareholders will appeal the decision of the board of directors, Venediktov told Interfax at the time.

On March 4, the Moscow Property Department terminated the lease agreement for the premises where the editorial office of Ekho Moskvy is located, and Internet providers turned off the Internet. All of Echo’s accounts, his website and Echo’s YouTube channel have been deleted.

Ekho Moskvy has been broadcasting since August 22, 1990. The radio station was officially taken off the air in August 1991 by order of the State Emergency Committee. Then the editors managed to establish the air and continue broadcasting.

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• 

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  Turkmenistan, 178th place: imaginary independence

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  North Korea, 179th place: the dictator dictates the rules

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  Country rankings from Reporters Without Borders: freedom of speech has no place here

  Eritrea, 180th: North Korea in African style

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