The founder and CEO of top Russian social-networking site VKontakte says he has been fired and the company is under the "full control" of two allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Pavel Durov wrote on his VKontake page on April 21 that he learned about his firing from media reports.
He said VKontakte is controlled by Putin confidante Igor Sechin and oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
Interfax quoted VKontakte's press service as saying Durov had quit on March 21 and his resignation became effective after one-month.
Durov said last week that he sold his 12 percent stake in the company under pressure from the Federal Security Service (FSB).
He said the FSB demanded he provide details about members of a Euromaidan protest group and shut down a VKontakte group dedicated to Russian anticorruption campaigner Aleksei Navalny, which he refused.
Pavel Durov wrote on his VKontake page on April 21 that he learned about his firing from media reports.
He said VKontakte is controlled by Putin confidante Igor Sechin and oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
Interfax quoted VKontakte's press service as saying Durov had quit on March 21 and his resignation became effective after one-month.
Durov said last week that he sold his 12 percent stake in the company under pressure from the Federal Security Service (FSB).
He said the FSB demanded he provide details about members of a Euromaidan protest group and shut down a VKontakte group dedicated to Russian anticorruption campaigner Aleksei Navalny, which he refused.