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Russian Media Empires I

The state no longer has a monopoly on the Russian media, but the majority of Russian media outlets are by no means independently owned and managed. Few papers, magazines, radio stations or television networks are profitable, so journalists who initially owned shares in these companies were forced to seek outside funding from banks, corporations and financial groups. This process accelerated after the 1996 presidential election, in which media support played a key role in Boris Yeltsin's victory. In addition, influential figures in Russian business have sometimes become important managers of state-owned media outlets.

This list identifies the business and government structures controlling major Russian print and electronic media. Also listed are the business or political leaders who play the predominant role in influencing the media for the structures they represent. Several of these individuals -- Chernomyrdin, Nemtsov and Luzhkov -- are viewed as possible candidates in Russia's next presidential election, scheduled for the year 2000.

Click on the hyperlinked name to view tables listing media under each entity's influence.

Russia: Media, Money And Power--An Analysis

Russia: Money And Media--A Brief Case Study

Related Special Reports

Politicization and Self-Censorship in the Russian Media

Russia's Financial Empires

Source: The data for this table were prepared by Floriana Fossato, RFE/RL's Moscow correspondent, and Anna Kachkaeva, television and media expert for RFE/RL's Russian Service. Reports by RFE/RL, Russian media and the "Moscow Times" were used as source material.

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special reports 1997

Government:

Federal Government and Presidential Administration
Viktor CHERNOMYRDIN, Prime Minister
Anatoly CHUBAIS, First Deputy Prime Minister
Boris NEMTSOV, First Deputy Prime Minister

Moscow City Government
Yuri LUZHKOV, Mayor

Business:

LogoVAZ Industrial-Financial Group
Boris BEREZOVSKY, Security Council Deputy Secretary

Most Media
A holding company and part of Most Group
Vladimir GUSINSKY, Most founder and general director of Media Most

Oneximbank
Vladimir POTANIN, bank founder and president and former first deputy prime minister

Stolichny Savings Bank-Agroprombank (SBS-AGRO)
Aleksandr SMOLENSKY, founder and president

Menatep Bank
with Rosprom Financial Industrial Group
Mikhail KHODORKOVSKY, bank founder and head of Rosprom

Gazprom Natural Gas monopoly
(The state controls some 40 percent of shares.)
Rem VYAKHIREV, president
Viktor ILYUSHIN, vice president (former first aide to President Yeltsin)

LUKoil Oil Company
(The state is the largest single shareholder.)
Vagit ALEKPEROV, president

Alfa Group
Mikhail FRIDMAN, top executive
Pyotr AVEN, top executive