Controversial chief editor Andrey Shmarov leaves Vedomosti

Andrey Shmarov has stepped down from his post as editor-in-chief of the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti, the paper announced on May 19.

The decision on Shmarov’s resignation was made by mutual agreement. Irina Kazmina, who previously served as deputy director for editorial development at Business News Media JSC, has been appointed as Vedomosti’s acting chief editor. 

Andrey Shmarov was appointed as Vedomosti’s acting editor-in-chief in the spring of 2020. The newspaper quickly spiralled into a crisis, as the staff accused Shmarov of censoring articles after publication and interfering with the newspaper’s reporting. When Shmarov was officially approved as editor-in-chief, it led to an exodus of staff, including five deputy chief editors. 

The deputy chief editors who left Vedomosti established the independent news outlet VTimes in July 2020. On May 14, 2021, the Russian authorities designated VTimes as a “foreign agent.”