Move to curb Moscow radio station A shake-up of the board of directors of Ekho Moskvy radio station has prompted fears of a crackdown at one of Russia's few remaining independent media outlets. The reshuffle, ordered by Kremlin-connected Gazprom-Media, which owns the station, comes at a time when Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, is facing down unprecedented protests. The move came just weeks after Mr Putin lashed out at the widely respected radio station, accusing it of "covering him in shit" and "serving the interests of foreign countries." Mr Putin made the remarks during a meeting in January with the station's editor in chief, Alexei Venediktov. Mr Venediktov said on Tuesday he believed officials had called for the shake-up in response to Mr Putin's criticism, but that he did not believe the prime minister, who is seeking re-election to the presidency in three weeks, gave the order himself. "I don't just think, I know that V Putin did not give the order to "wipe out" Ekho Moskvy," Mr Venediktov told Russian news agency Interfax. But when V Putin began to criticise the radio station publicly, many zealous officials decided that the order to attack had been given. But they were mistaken. V Putin did not give such an order. Staff at the radio station condemned the shake-up, which led to the removal of two long serving independent directors from the board, as unfair. Mr Venediktov and his first deputy Vladimir Varfomoleev, will also step down from the board as a result of the change. Mr Venediktov, however, said he would remain as editor in chief and insisted he would continue to defend the station's independent editorial policy. Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told Russian news wires the reshuffle had nothing to do with politics, while Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's spokesman, denied it was connected in any way with the radio station's critical stance against the prime minister. But in the same breath, Mr Peskov lashed out at the station for "non-constructive" and "prejudiced" criticism, which he claimed had come to "dominate" its coverage. Gleb Pavlovsky, a political consultant who has worked with the Kremlin, said Mr Putin had also made clear his patience was wearing thin with the station at a meeting with political analysts last week. During the meeting, Mr Putin had indicated he believed that in part recent protests against his rule - which have seen tens of thousands of Muscovites take to the streets - were being stoked by the liberal media, including Ekho Moskvy. Mr Pavlovsky said Mr Putin had said he switched on Ekho and "could not really believe what he was hearing and asked whether it was really financed by Gazprom. He is finding it more and more difficult to bear the station. At a meeting with Russian editors in chief in January, Mr Putin had attacked Mr Venediktov for his radio station's critical stance. I see that you are upset with me. I see it in your face. I am not getting upset with you when you are pouring shit all over me from dawn to dusk," Mr Putin said then.