MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Four weeks after Russia annexed Crimea to great fanfare, President Vladimir Putin quietly signed a decree honouring more than 300 journalists for their "objective coverage" of the region's seizure from Ukraine.
The awards made under decree 279 to television, radio and newspapers loyal to Putin underline the importance of media in stirring patriotic sentiment over Ukraine. However, the decree's initial secrecy suggests Putin wishes to distance himself from the powerful Kremlin policy tool of the media onslaught.