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Controversial Nashi Spokesperson Quits

A photo of Potupchik posted along with her farewell post in LiveJournal.

The controversial spokeswoman for the Kremlin-backed youth group Nashi announced Wednesday she was leaving the organization to which she had dedicated more than five years.

"Hi. It's time to say what was long overdue. I'm leaving," Kristina Potupchik wrote in LiveJournal in a post accompanied by a picture of herself flashing a two-fingered peace sign.

"The fact that I'm leaving the post of Nashi's spokespersn does not mean that it's time to be my friend. I'm not betraying anyone, not exposing anyone or abandoning anyone — just leaving. Nashi, of course, continues and will continue to live as a huge social structure that has given birth to many new projects," she wrote.

Earlier this year, Potupchik was in the center of a scandal after leaked e-mails between her and former Federal Youth Agency head Vasily Yakemenko linked Nashi to DDoS attacks on Kommersant's website in 2008.

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