Move to Curb Moscow Radio Station
Gazprom-Media, a subsidiary of the Kremlin-connected Russian energy giant, has called for the board of its liberal Moscow radio station - Ekho Moskvy - to step down.
The demanded shake-up of the board has prompted fears of a media crackdown after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized the station - accusing it of "serving the interests of foreign countries".
Alexei Venediktov, the station's editor-in-chief and also a board member, said he believed the criticism from Putin was the impetus for the move, but he does not think the order to restructure the board came directly from him.
The Financial Times comments that many believe it is too early to write off Ekho Moskvy, "which has maintained a fiercely liberal stance during a decade under Gazprom's ownership, unlike other media channels that were also acquired during the same period".