Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Journalist Fired After Asking Putin a Question at Presser

Alisa Yarovskaya Screenshot Rossia 2

A Russian state journalist who asked President Vladimir Putin a question during his  end-of-year press conference last week has been told to resign, the Znak.com news website reported Monday, sparking speculation about the causes for her dismissal.

At the press conference on Thursday, Alisa Yarovskaya, a Yamal-Region television channel correspondent, had asked Putin to help speed up construction of a bridge in her republic that would increase shipments to Russia’s Arctic. 

Putin agreed that the bridge was an “important infrastructure project” but added that its construction could not be taken “out of the general context.”

Russian media have suggested that Yarovskaya’s question may be one of at least three possible reasons why she was subsequently told to resign.

Unwelcome flattery 

Authorities in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district, which owns the channel where Yarovskaya worked, did not take kindly to her characterization of the region’s governor in her question to Putin, the Ura.ru news website reported.

“The Yamal administration does not welcome personal flattery in relation to the governor,” Ura.ru quoted an unnamed official as saying.

At Thursday’s marathon conference, Yarovskaya had told Putin that Yamal-Nenets autonomous district Governor Dmitry Artyukhov was “doing everything possible” to complete construction of the bridge.

Unauthorized question

Yarovskaya’s question about the bridge, which is scheduled to be part of the Northern Latitudinal Passage project in Russia’s Arctic, appeared to differ from the question that she had been sent to ask by her media.

Yamal authorities had reportedly dispatched their reporters with a single authorized question on the prospects of the Northern Latitudinal Passage itself, Ura.ru cited an administration official as saying.

Putin’s looks

Yarovskaya may have been fired because of a comment she had posted on social media addressing rumors of Putin’s cosmetic surgery, according to Znak.com.

“I don’t see any botox or fillers. He looks his age,” Yarovskaya apparently wrote during the press conference, according to a screenshot of the post carried by Znak which is now unavailable on Yarovskaya’s Facebook page.

Bad teammate

Yarovskaya had reportedly snatched the microphone from a colleague to ask her question about the bridge at the press conference, an unnamed source at the channel told Ura.ru.

“That’s not how it’s done in teams. Everyone was watching it live,” the person was quoted as saying.

Update: Yarovskaya confirmed to The Moscow Times that she had resigned but declined to say if it had been connected to her question at Putin’s press conference. The Yamal-region television channel confirmed that Yarovskaya had submitted her resignation but said that she was still currently working for the channel.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more