CEO of Astrakhan TV channel fired for xenophobic words about Kalmyks

State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein announced the dismissal of the general director of the regional government television channel Astrakhan 24, Angelina Radchenko, after an ambiguous statement. In the social network, Radchenko spoke about, presumably, her food allergy. So, she said that after eating fish brought from Rostov, her face swelled and she “became like a native of the Yashkul municipality of the Republic of Kalmykia.” She also wondered, “why the fish from our Slavic Don makes, in general, ordinary people the indigenous inhabitants of the steppes, and even drinkers.”

According to Khinshtein, Radchenko “allowed herself openly racist and xenophobic statements,” which he considered unacceptable and “beyond good and evil,” especially for the head of a state-owned television company. In his telegram channel, the deputy said that “in the current conditions, any attempt to split people along ethnic lines plays into the hands of the enemy only” and that “our guys of different nationalities heroically fight shoulder to shoulder.” In this regard, Khinshtein sent an appeal to the governor of the Astrakhan region, Igor Babushkin, with a call to dismiss Radchenko from his post on the TV channel.

Khinshtein later stated that the governor informed him of Radchenko’s dismissal from his job.

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