Last year, 2,970 mass media outlets ceased operations in Russia, with more than half being print publications. This was reported by Yuriy Pogorelyy, Deputy General Director of IA 'Interfax'. Pogorelyy noted: "Printing is in a terribly difficult condition — both from the distribution perspective and from the physical production standpoint". A significant portion of new print media consists of scientific, thematic, and entertainment magazines. Over the past 20 years, the number of newspaper kiosks in Russia has decreased fourfold due to rising rent prices and regional authorities' refusal to renew contracts with press distributors.