Owner of Shkulev Media Holding Denies Intention to Acquire Prigozhin's Media Assets

The main owner of Shkulev Media Holding, Viktor Shkulev, has stated that the information regarding his plans to acquire the media assets of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner PMC, is not true. This specifically refers to the Patriot media group, which includes РИА ФАН, «Народные новости», and other media outlets.

Shkulev Media Holding owns, among others, the St. Petersburg edition of «Фонтанка» and the Russian versions of magazines Maxim, Marie Claire, and Psychologies.

“This has nothing to do with us,” Shkulev said in a comment to RBC.

The Bell had reported that Viktor Shkulev's media holding was among the candidates to purchase Yevgeny Prigozhin's media assets, citing “anonymous Telegram channels.” Sources for The Bell claim that the National Media Group, owned by businessman Yuri Kovalchuk, is also vying for the Patriot media group. Currently, according to the publication, the operations of the “Patriot” assets are paralyzed, with “new management issues being determined.”

On June 24, Roskomnadzor began blocking the resources of the Patriot media group “to prevent the spread of calls to participate in the military uprising organized by Yevgeny Prigozhin.” Today, on June 29, the YaRus social network, associated with the founder of the PMC, announced its closure. The Telegram channel of the social network noted that the decision to “suspend the operation of the service” was made “after a thorough analysis of the current situation.”