U.S. broadcaster CNN expressed bewilderment Tuesday over the appearance of a web site bearing its iconic red logo and poorly translated articles in Russian.
The web site, Cnnrussia.ru, is attracting thousands of visitors a day and sponsors Facebook, Twitter and LiveJournal communities as well.
CNN Moscow bureau chief Maxim Tkachenko said the broadcaster does not have a Russian-language web site.
Claudia Coles, a London-based spokeswoman for CNN, said the broadcaster was looking into the matter. “I can confirm this is not a CNN site. We are evaluating next steps,” Coles said by e-mail.
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The purpose of the web site was unclear. Cybersquatters have been known to take over the domain names of companies, state agencies and celebrities. U.S. camera maker Eastman Kodak won a costly, two-year legal battle for the rights to Kodak.ru in 1999, while Forbes magazine won a similar lawsuit over Forbes.ru last year.
It appears some ads come from Google and some images are hosted on Flickr.
Update: The CNNRussia.ru web site was still live on Sunday, May 29, 2011.
Here are a few static screenshots captured at that time.
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