“…Andrei Miroshnichenko, an independent media critic here, said RIA Novosti and the other state news agency, Itar-Tass, had in effect competed for resources and influence.
He said RIA Novosti had become the most respected news agency in the former Soviet Union, one he associated closely with the presidency of Dmitri A. Medvedev, who has served as prime minister since Mr. Putin returned to the presidency last year. In that way, dismantling the news service is another step by Mr. Putin to erase any legacy of Mr. Medvedev’s presidency, and his “modernization initiative.”
The new agency, Mr. Miroshnichenko said, would now revert to its mission before the dawn of “the post-Soviet era” as an arm of “foreign propaganda,” while Itar-Tass would focus on domestic news. ”
Read: The New York Times. Without Notice, Putin Dissolves a News Agency

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