Managing editor of Afisha magazine Yury Saprykin resigns

The managing editor of Russia’s popular Afisha magazine, Yury Saprykin, has resigned from his post, saying only that he now hopes to work “away from the world of Russian media”.

Saprykin, an outspoken critic of censorship in the Russian media, announced his resignation on his Facebook page on Sunday adding that he didn’t wish to comment further on his decision. He wrote: “I will regularly be in touch with the editor to help (or hinder) with advise, and probably to do some writing, but for the most part I will be engaging in matters away from [Afisha’s offices].”

Saprykin worked as editor-in-chief of listings magazine Afisha from 2003 to 2008 before becoming managing director of Afisha’s parent company Afisha-Rambler.

Saprykin’s departure comes on the heels of two high-profile resignations last week — Pavel Sheremet from public TV channel OTR and Sara Firth from RT (Russian Today) — both of whom cited censorship concerns.

Recent months have seen Russia’s media landscape change dramatically, with dozens of journalists resigning from their jobs to protest a clampdown on independent journalism following the Ukraine crisis.