Moscow, 18 May: The director-general of the Russian News Service (RSN), Aleksandr Shkolnik, thinks that the situation with the sacking of a number of journalists should not be dramatized. He denied claims of censorship at the RSN.

"Claims by a number of media outlets about mass sacking of journalists at the Russian News Service are pure insinuation. Over the short period of time (since April of this year - Interfax) that I have led the service, of the 50 members of staff and around 20 contractors (only) five have resigned," Aleksandr Shkolnik told Interfax on Friday (18 May).

Earlier a number of media outlets reported that several correspondents, including Artem Khan, Margarita Bondarenko, Olga Shipsha and Lyubov Shirizhek, had resigned from the Russian News Service over their disagreement with the new management's editorial policy.

Aleksandr Shkolnik confirmed the sacking of these journalists. He said that although they would complete a statutory two weeks period, (new) people had already arrived.

"The service continues its work. The broadcasting has not collapsed. We have a working atmosphere in the team, we are striving towards new victories," the director-general of the RSN said. He didn't rule out "higher standards of professionalism for the staff of the service" being one of the reasons behind the sacking of journalists.

Aleksandr Shkolnik denied claims by some of the journalists who left that the new management of the Russian News Service had introduced censorship and was limiting material about opposition activities.

"This is not true. Coverage is given to representatives of all political forces, including opposition ones," Aleksandr Shkolnik said.

He said that representatives of not only (the pro-Kremlin) One Russia but also the LDPR, the CPRF and the SPS have been on air. Grigoriy Yavlinskiy and Irina Khakamada will be on air next week, he said.