Prosecutors are investigating a journalist for publishing an article mocking President Vladimir Putin over his call to pay Russian women to have more children, an official said Wednesday.The article was published by Vladimir Rakhmankov, editor of the online newspaper Kursiv in the central city of Ivanovo, said Andrei Galchenko of the regional prosecutor's office.
The piece poked fun at Putin's recent state of the nation address that called for economic incentives to boost the country's plummeting birth rate. Russian media reported that the publication suggested that animals at a local zoo increased their mating, heeding Putin's call.
Rakhmankov could not be reached for comment Wednesday. His article could not be seen, because the Web site has been shut down.
Galchenko said the investigation was launched because the article "contained phrases of an insulting nature aimed at the president."
If convicted of insulting a representative of the authorities, Rakhmankov faces up to 12 months of corrective labor or a fine, Galchenko said.
The suspect has been summoned for questioning, Galchenko said.
Since coming to power six years ago, Putin has reined in major independent television channels. Critics accuse his government of curtailing freedom of speech.
"This case illustrates the outrageous lengths that authorities will go to silence critical voices," said Ann Cooper, the head of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.