TASS General Director Sergei Mikhailov was fired due to his coverage of the Wagner PMC mutiny. This was reported by the Moscow Times, citing sources in the government, the State Duma and the presidential administration.
As the publication writes, coverage of the Wagner PMC mutiny was too detailed and “exposed the Russian authorities in an unfavorable light,” as a result of which They decided to fire Mikhailov. It was previously reported that he left the post of general director of his own free will — this happened in early July.
“TASS covered all this in too much detail and quickly. Something crazy happened to them. They forgot that their main task is not to convey news, but to create an ideologically correct narrative for the Kremlin,” said one of the publication’s interlocutors.
At the same time, the news agency was one of the first to publish photographs from Rostov-on -Don during the rebellion. The photographs confirmed that the Wagner PMC mercenaries had captured the headquarters of the Southern Military District and controlled the city center.
As the Moscow Times writes, the “last straw” that prompted Mikhailov’s dismissal was his departure from Moscow during the 24 uprising June. At the same time, the ex-general director himself denied this information — according to him, he then worked in the office. According to the publication, the security forces were also unhappy with the departure of the ex-general director.
An acquaintance of Mikhailov, in a conversation with the publication, said that he had no intention of leaving the post of general director of TASS. One of the news agency employees confirmed this information, adding that he and Mikhailov discussed “working tasks for the end of 2023.”
As head of TASS, Mikhailov was replaced by First Deputy General Director of VGTRK Andrey Kondrashov. “No one needs TASS’s neutrality now. It's wartime and the presidential election is approaching. The head [Putin] must win officially. Under the new CEO, TASS will be more aggressive and provocative,” added a Russian government official who spoke to the Moscow Times.