The President gave the instruction to establish a federal state unitary enterprise, International Information Agency Russia Today, the main purpose of which is to provide information on Russian state policy and Russian life and society for audiences abroad.

The Executive Order also concerns reorganisation of other media outlets, including the official government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

The Executive Order also liquidates Russian State Radio Broadcasting Company Voice of Russia, and Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti.

The relevant instructions have been sent to the Government.

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In another executive order, Mr Putin appointed Dmitry Kiselev to the post of general director of the International Information Agency Russia Today.