RUSSIA’S Communist Party has accused the Kremlin of orchestrating a “media vacuum” around their presidential candidate Pavel Grudinin ahead of March elections.

The Russian mass media had previously “organised mass information attacks” on Mr Grudinin, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) said, but the tactic changed after the government realised this was merely raising his public profile.

A source close to the government told the party that Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin had rebuked broadcast chiefs, saying: “What are you doing? Anti-advertising is also advertising.”