Russian media banned from quoting Kadyrov without permission
Russian state media has been banned from quoting the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, without the approval of the top management, reported the journalistic investigative association Proekt with reference to two employees from the Russian state news agency TASS.
According to Proekt’s sources, if earlier they could publish Kadyrov’s statements at their discretion, now an approval of one of the deputy editors-in-chief is required and further approval from the Kremlin might be needed.
Proekt believes that a permission to publish Kadyrov’s statements is probably required due to his criticism of the war in Ukraine. "The head of Chechnya not only constantly commented on the course of hostilities, but also criticized Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov (for refusing to condemn Russian celebrities who left Russia) and Putin's assistant Vladimir Medinsky (for the statement on the withdrawal of troops from Kyiv)," Proekt writes.
In addition, TASS has begun to either not publish or publish with a delay other news, in particular, economic. According to Proekt's sources, if there is at least a hint in the text that war and sanctions are not easy for Russia, there is at least a two-hour window before the news is published or it may not be published at all.