RBC editor who quit in protest set to become chief editor of TV Rain

Roman Badanin, a former editor for Russian media holding company RBC, has been appointed chief editor of independent television channel TV Rain.

Mr Badanin resigned from his post at RBC in May in protest of the dismissal of RBC newspaper Editor-in-Chief Maxim Solyus, amidst claims that political pressure lay behind the dismissal. Former chief editor of RBC, Elizaveta Osetinskaya, at the time asserted that RBC’s work on the Panama Papers, which included leaked details on cellist Sergei Roldugin, a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was akin to waving a “red rag” at the Kremlin. RBC was the only major Russian media outlet to cover the story.

TV Rain has lacked an editor since Mikhail Zygar left the position in December 2015 to focus on new projects. In a press statement, Mr Badanin said that he was excited to bolster the channel’s journalistic content and strengthen its presence across a range of media. Badanin is due to take up his new position on 25 July.

Source: The Moscow Times