Konstantin Syomin
Konstantin Syomin is a Russian journalist and TV news presenter. Since 2000 he has worked at the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company, in 2004-2007 as chief foreign correspondent of the company in the United States. Since 2007 Syomin has been an anchor with Vesti, the news program on the company's Rossiya Channel.
On February 21, 2008, while commenting on the Serbian protests against Kosovo's declaration of independence in his Vesti Plus program, Syomin justified the 2003 assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, opining that Đinđić was a Western puppet who received "a well-deserved bullet".
His comments provoked an outcry in Serbia. The next day, on February 22, the Serbian embassy in Moscow demanded an explanation from the TV company. The Serbian diplomats wondered whether the scandalous statement was the position of the state television or Syomin's personal viewpoint. However, they were unable to reach the company's management. On February 23, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov over the issue and sent a letter of protest to the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company. On February 25, the Liberal Democratic minority faction in the Serbian parliament accused Russia of gross interference in the domestic affairs of Serbia and proposed to recall the ambassador from Moscow unless Russia apologizes. President Boris Tadić promised to touch the issue on February 25, during the scheduled visit of First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev to Belgrade behind closed doors. After the talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly dismissed Syomin's comments voiced on state-run television as nonsense and his personal opinion. However, despite the scandal, Syomin continued his work as a TV host, and the company has not commented on the issue.Footnotes
