President Vladimir Putin has refused to allow the Finance Ministry to cut funding for several state-run media outlets including "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" and Russia Today. This was first reported by Novaya Gazeta newspaper who cited a letter from Alexei Gromov, the first deputy head of the presidential administration.

The document presents a list of the six state-run media outlets, their financing requirements for 2013, as well as the amount that the Finance Ministry is ready to spend on these outlets.

For example, TV and internet news source Russia Today is asking 11.21 billion rubles but the Finance Ministry has only allotted 10.4 billion, Rossiyskaya Gazeta wants almost 5 billion rubles, but the Finance Ministry is offering just under 4 billion.

However, the document contains a declaration from President Putin, who asks that the requirements of Russia Today, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and other sources be met by the Finance Industry.

In the same report by Novaya Gazeta, it is written that funding for other, non state-run media outlets will shrink. in 2013, funding for RIA Novisti will be cut by almost 20%, ITAR-TASS by almost 40%, and "Voice of Russia" by 11%.