Kommersant, with a daily printing of 115,000, is generally respected for its business and news coverage.  The paper is known to criticize the Kremlin on occasion. 

Pavel Filinkov, Kommersant Publishing House commercial director, said that Usmanov and Borodulin clashed over the future of Kommersant: “[Borodulin’s] decision to resign wasn't forced, but evidently they expressed different views on how the publishing house should be developed."

Usmanov’s ties with the Kremlin are likely at the source of the conflict.  As well as his interest in steel and iron, Usmanov is president of the state-run gas monopoly Gazprom.  Gazprom was instrumental in curbing the output of the Kremlin-critical NTV television station.  Former NTV owner Vladimir Gusinky is exiled from Russia.

Former Kommersant editor Andrei Vasilyev has been restored to his onetime post at the paper. 

The loss of Borodulin could mean a more restricted paper as the Kommersant aligns with other Kremlin-friendly Russian media.

Source: AP/Yahoo News