Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he will launch a personal blog on popular Internet site Live Journal on Wednesday, but the Kremlin promised to tightly control who can comment on his work.

The web log on one of Russia's most popular blogging sites is the latest move in a public relations push by the 43-year-old president, a regular Internet user who already hosts a video blog at www.kremlin.ru.

"Yes, I am launching one," Medvedev told journalists on Tuesday in the Finnish capital Helsinki where he was on an official visit. "I have not yet decided on a nickname."

Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova told reporters the new Live Journal page would be a clone of Medvedev's Kremlin.ru blog and that the same rigid moderation rules would be applied.

"Of course, like any blog owner the president can use his right to bar users," she said. Among the hundreds of comments left by visitors at Medvedev's Kremlin blog, few offer even mild criticism of the president.

Medvedev's blog will jostle for attention with Kremlin critics who use Live Journal to organize opposition protests. It will be posted at community.livejournal.com/blog_medvedev.


Reuters

Güncelleme Tarihi: 22 Nisan 2009, 12:31