Russian news website ‘Kommersant’ fires its chief editor, following interview with opposition leader

The Russian newspaper Kommersant has reportedly fired Andrey Konyakhin, its online chief editor. The publication's staff say they were informed of the change at a meeting this morning. No reason for the dismissal was provided. Konyakhin has refused to comment.

According to three sources at Kommersant, one of the reasons for firing Konyakhin might be the recent publication of an unedited transcript of an interview with opposition leader Alexey Navalny, where Navalny called Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, and the Rotenberg brothers "crooks and thieves." The transcript was later deleted from Kommersant's website. The paper said it acted on recommendations from its legal department, which feared Navalny's language might violate Russia’s laws on the media.