Russia needs to be promoted more aggressively, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the dissolution of the country's major state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.
"The tool of propaganda is an integral part of any state. It is everywhere. And Russia should use it as well. Propaganda in the good sense of the word," Peskov said Thursday.
Last week Putin signed a decree dissolving RIA Novosti, the country's major news agency and radio station Voice of Russia and replaced them with a new media conglomerate under the name Rossia Segodnya.
The move was widely seen as a sign of a gradual tightening of state control over Russia's media landscape.
The Kremlin has appointed controversial television presenter Dmitry Kiselyov to head Rossia Segodnya, a man known for his controversial opinions on gay rights and Ukraine.
Read more:
Putin Shuts State News Agency RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti Staff to Remain 'In Demand' at New Agency
