Flamboyant journalist Sergei Dorenko, who earned the nickname the "television killer" for his on air clashes with the Kremlin's elite, has left his post as editor in chief of Russian News Service radio, Vedomosti reported Monday.
Dorenko stepped down to be replaced by the new editor Aram Gabrelyanov who heads the Kremlin-connected News Media holding — the publisher of Izvestia daily.
The statement, published on the radio station's site Monday, said that Dorenko is leaving the post to spend more time with his family. But Dorenko told Kommersant that he was left no other option by the new managers.
Dorenko will still host his daily program Podyom (Wake Up), which is known for its attacks on members of the elite. Among his targets was the powerful head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin. The host has accused Yakunin of "worsening the financial state" of Russian Railways on his live program in November.
Yakunin has filed a libel suit against Dorenko.
Dorenko came to prominence in the 1990s, becoming one of the most influential television hosts in the country.
Critics said at that time that Dorenko was supported by the late tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who used Dorenko to aggravate his political enemies.
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