Putin's Former Spokesman Takes Charge of TASS News Agency

Former election spokesman for Putin appointed to lead TASS news agency.
Kremlin’s control over media tightens amid Ukraine war.
Independent news outlets closed, journalists labeled as “foreign agents.”

Following a government order published today, the state news agency TASS will now be led by the former election spokesman of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This appointment signifies a further tightening of the Kremlin’s grip on the media, which has escalated since the onset of the Ukraine war.

Independent news outlets have been compelled to shut down, while numerous journalists and publications have been labeled as “foreign agents.”

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has issued an order to replace Sergei Mikhailov, who has been serving as the general director of TASS since 2012.

The new appointee, Andrei Kondrashov, is a 50-year-old journalist from state television and previously worked as the press secretary for Putin’s election headquarters in 2018.

According to Reuters, TASS, which can be traced back to 1904, was initially established as the St Petersburg Telegraph Agency. It held the distinction of being Russia’s first official news agency.

Despite its historical origins, TASS has maintained its name from the Soviet era, where its acronym stood for Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union.

Putin’s Former Spokesman Takes Charge of TASS News Agency

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