Focus Editor-in-Chief Apologizes for 'Inappropriate' Putin Remarks

The editor-in-chief of German magazine Focus, which published an article containing insulting words targeting Putin, expressed his apology.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — Robert Schneider, the editor-in-chief of German magazine Focus apologized on Thursday for inappropriate remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin, press attache of the Russian Embassy in Germany Denis Mikerin said.

The outlet published on Tuesday an article devoted to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which contained insulting words targeting the Russian leader. The Kremlin on Wednesday called the remarks about Putin "inadmissible."

"Robert Schneider, editor-in-chief of the Focus magazine, phoned the embassy today and personally expressed apology for the well-known statements in the magazine addressing the president of the Russian Federation," Mikerin said in his Facebook blog.

"Schneider extended assurances that the editorial board in no way wanted to offend or insult the head of the Russian state. Having agreed with our arguments, he acknowledged the exceptional incorrectness of the chosen wording and apologized, including to all readers who were rightly angered by the offensive remarks," the diplomat said.

In response to the article published by Focus magazine press attache of the Russian Embassy Denis Mikerin noted on the embassy's page on Facebook that freedom of press is now wider than 20 years ago, but some issues have nothing to do with media freedom and thus cannot be tolerated.