Luke Harding, the Guardian's Moscow correspondent, has been expelled from Russia after the newspaper's reporting of the WikiLeaks cables, where he reported on allegations calling Russia "virtual mafia state"and tying this fact with actual Russian PM.
      
      It is the the first precedent of removal of a British staff journalist from Russia since the end of the cold war. The press ties this fact with that Harding wrote hard-hitting things on some themes, e.g. about sources of Vladimir Putin's personal wellness, about corruption that is linked to senior government individuals, about complicacy of Kremlin to killing the former spy Alexander Litvinenko. Harding is co-author of a book, WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, revealing the inside story of the publication of the confidential documents. Moreover, the press is inclined to tie Harding's exile with the same person, Russian ex-president.
      
      FSB intelligence agency officer told him in the airport: "For you Russia is closed" when the journalist landed in Moscow. Harding said, leaving Russia: "I didn't go out to Russia with any particular agenda and I'm sad to leave under these circumstances. But I do not think journalists can accept self-censorship."
      
      William Hague, the foreign secretary, contacted his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday afternoon in an effort to establish what had happened. It is understood Lavrov had no explanation to offer, and promised only to look into the matter.
      
      Russian bloggers have already noticed that Lavrov's stupid position in this casus indicates that Minister of Foreign Affairs cannot make desisions in this country, but the state security apparatus.
      

      
      
www.guardian.co.uk
      
      
www.gazeta.ru
      
      
veved.ru
Author: Yulia Buzykina