‘BBC’ edits article on Putin’s daughter overseeing genetic research project following clarification from ‘Rosneft’

The BBC Russian Service has edited its article on Putin’s alleged eldest daughter, pediatric endocrinologist Maria Vorontsova, partnering with Russian energy giant “Rosneft” to create a new genetic research center in Moscow. 

The new version of the article — now under the headline “Rosneft became a partner in a large-scale Russian genetic project” — removes claims that Maria Vorontsova and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin will sit on the new center’s board of directors. Mention of Rosneft investing between $500 million and $1 billion in the project has also been removed. 

The BBC notes that the aforementioned information was deleted “on the basis of clarification on the part of Rosneft,” received after the article’s publication. “The inclusion of this information did not meet the required standards for publication,” the statement says.

The names of the journalists who worked on the report have also been removed from the article. 

Immediately after the article in question was published, Rosneft said that it “contains a baseless lie regarding the company and individuals not involved in the given project.” The company threatened the BBC with a lawsuit, as well.