Former head of Gazprom Media Mikhail Lesin has died

The former head of the Gazprom Media holding, Mikhail Lesin, has died. It is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to his family. The cause of death was a heart attack. Mikhail Lesin was 57 years old.

• Mikhail Lesin headed Gazprom Media from 2013 to January 2015. Under his leadership, the holding acquired the main assets of ProfMedia, including TV-3 and 2×2 TV channels, as well as the Central Partnership film company.
• Lesin's resignation from the post of head of Gazprom Media was preceded by a public conflict with the editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station Alexei Venediktov, the reason for which was a tweet by journalist Alexander Plushev. Lesin demanded that Plyushchev be fired, but in the end the matter was limited to the suspension of the journalist from work for two months.
• In 1999-2004, Lesin was the Minister of Press of Russia. Prior to that, he held the posts of Deputy Chairman of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and Head of the Presidential Administration for Public Relations.