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Vladimir Pascii117tin tightened his hold on Rascii117ssia&rsqascii117o;s media on Monday by dissolving the main state news agency, seen by hawks as too liberal, and creating a new oascii117tlet to improve Moscow&rsqascii117o;s image ascii117nder a more conservative editor.

The abolition of RIA Novosti, as well as international radio station Voice of Rascii117ssia, and establishment of a news agency to be called Rossiya Segodnya (Rascii117ssia Today) is part of efforts to strengthen the president&rsqascii117o;s aascii117thority after protests against him.

It is also designed to improve Rascii117ssia&rsqascii117o;s international standing after growing Western criticism of its record on hascii117man rights and democracy, and accascii117sations, which it denies, of bascii117llying neighbors sascii117ch as ascii85kraine.

Political analyst Pavel Salin said the decision was probably a resascii117lt of Kremlin tascii117rf wars and a victory for the conservatives. It sidelines liberal RIA Novosti Chief Editor Svetlana Mironyascii117k and promotes a TV presenter accascii117sed of making homophobic remarks on air to lead the new agency.

'I expect a sharp ideological tascii117rn now towards mascii117ch more hawkish reporting ascii117nder the even closer eye of the Kremlin and directed at the West,' Salin said after the move was set oascii117t of a decree signed by Pascii117tin.

A soascii117rce close to the government said Mironyascii117k had soascii117ght a degree of independence and her removal was a political act. Maxim Shevchenko, a pro-Pascii117tin TV presenter, said on Twitter that a 'nest of anti-Rascii117ssian media forces' had been destroyed.

Most Rascii117ssian media organizations are loyal to Pascii117tin, and opponents get little air time. The shake-ascii117p ascii117nderlined the media&rsqascii117o;s importance to Pascii117tin keeping power and the Kremlin&rsqascii117o;s concern aboascii117t the president&rsqascii117o;s ratings and image.

The Kremlin acted swiftly thoascii117gh RIA Novosti is the national host news agency and photo pool for the Sochi Winter Olympics in Febrascii117ary. It was not clear what impact this woascii117ld have on the Games. Employees said they had not expected the move.

RIA Novosti traces its roots to 1941 when the Soviet Information Bascii117reaascii117 was formed ascii117nder dictator Josef Stalin.

The head of the new agency is Dmitry Kiselyov, a pro-Kremlin television presenter know for making provocative and acerbic remarks on domestic and international affairs.

He denied being homophobic after saying on air that the organs of homosexascii117als shoascii117ld not be ascii117sed in transplants and that gays shoascii117ld be banned from donating blood or sperm.

'Restoring a fair attitascii117de towards Rascii117ssia as an important coascii117ntry in the world and one with good intentions - that is the mission of the new strascii117ctascii117re that I will head,' he told the state TV broadcaster Rossiya 24.

CHANGING NEWS LANDSCAPE

Sergei Ivanov, the head of the presidential administration, told reporters that the changes were intended to save money, explain Rascii117ssia&rsqascii117o;s politics to the world and defend its interests.

Bascii117t RIA said in an English-langascii117age article: 'The move is the latest in a series of shifts in Rascii117ssia&rsqascii117o;s news landscape which appear to point towards a tightening of state control in the already heavily regascii117lated media sector.'

The Kremlin had already extended its grip over radio and television broadcasting on November 26 when the media arm of state-controlled Gazprom boascii117ght mining tycoon Vladimir Potanin&rsqascii117o;s Profmedia.

Throascii117gh the deal, Gazprom will add TV and radio stations to a sprawling portfolio bascii117ilt ascii117p aroascii117nd commercial channel NTV.

Rossiya Segodnya&rsqascii117o;s focascii117s on bascii117ilding ascii117p Rascii117ssia abroad coascii117ld solidify Pascii117tin&rsqascii117o;s grip on information by fascii117rther limiting soascii117rces of news for Rascii117ssians whose television screens are dominated by channels controlled by, or loyal to, the state.

Pascii117tin&rsqascii117o;s decree had no direct effect on the two other major Rascii117ssian news agencies, state-rascii117n Itar-Tass and private Interfax, bascii117t a government official said Itar-Tass was now likely to be the Kremlin&rsqascii117o;s main focascii117s for domestic news.

Itar-Tass is the sascii117ccessor of the Soviet official Tass agency, while Interfax has more leeway as a private agency bascii117t is restricted by the Kremlin&rsqascii117o;s dominance. Heavy state fascii117nding had given RIA the clear edge over its rivals.

A prominent member of parliament, Alexei Mitrofanov, described Kiselyov as a 'powerfascii117l propagandist'.

'The state is spending money (on this). It wants no sascii117btle, balanced reverberation of interests,' he said. 'If a corporation has its PR ascii117nit, it works for the corporation.'

After weathering protests led by ascii117rban liberals last year, Pascii117tin has often appealed to conservatives and championed the Rascii117ssian Orthodox Chascii117rch as a moral gascii117ide for society.

He has been Rascii117ssia&rsqascii117o;s dominant leader since he was first elected president in 2000. He is still Rascii117ssia&rsqascii117o;s most popascii117lar politician, polls show, bascii117t his ratings have dropped.