Moscow Doctor Asked to Quit Over Blog Swearing
The scandal flared up over vaccines
A pediatric doctor was asked to resign from a Moscow private clinic after a quarrel with anti-vaxxers and the use of profanity on social media. Endocrinologist Elena Shkarupa told MSK1.RU that after a wave of complaints, management asked her to write a letter of resignation of her own free will.
The doctor conducted educational work in her blog
In her blog, Shkarupa published a post debunking some health myths, in particular about the supposed harm of vaccines. In the comments, one user wrote that the publication was paid for, to which the doctor responded using profanity.
The conflict arose over a thread about anti-vaxxers
After that, another user called the endocrinologist a «vile creature» and tagged the clinic«s account, urging it to read what its employee was writing. A heated discussion erupted on social media — some sided with the doctor, while others began to harass her. Elena wrote about this to the chief physician and expected support, but instead, according to her, she was told about dismissal.
The doctor was subjected to harassment on social media
«I thought the chief physician would say: «Lena, delete your messages, stop swearing» and something along those lines. But I was told that we need to part ways. And when I come in, I have to write a letter of resignation. I haven«t gone yet, because I have a small child in my arms, I simply couldn»t leave him and go to the clinic,» she told MSK1.RU.
The doctor then wrote in her blog that she would no longer see patients at the clinic and apologized to the medical institution for the fact that messages written outside working hours could have created reputational risks.
«I«m just in shock over what happened. It has had a strong psychological effect on me. I do not support harassment at all. For me, it is absolutely unacceptable to show negativity toward patients. I have never allowed myself to swear in the clinic in front of them, especially during appointments, or to offend them in any way. What I wrote was not addressed to anyone personally. Plus, on social media there are messages from my patients who also note and confirm that I am a good doctor and have never allowed myself anything inappropriate,» Elena admitted.
The administrator of the Soft Medical Center clinic, in a conversation with an MSK1.RU correspondent, could not comment on the situation but said the request had been forwarded to management.
Earlier, two Moscow general practitioners who run blogs about medicine were dismissed from their outpatient clinics. Sergey Makhnonosov and Maria Ulyanova linked this to their social media activity. MSK1.RU found out what the doctors said publicly and what has happened to them since.
Update for 11 August 2026
A few days after the conflict flared up, the clinic responded to MSK1.RU«s request. It denied information circulating on social media about the dismissal of pediatric endocrinologist Elena Shkarupa. The chief physician of the Soft Medical medical center, Lyudmila Dzhaparidze, said the doctor remains on staff, but noted that such communication by a doctor on social media is unacceptable to them.
Elena Shkarupa told MSK1.RU that she was asked to write a letter of resignation of her own free will. But she has not yet managed to do so, because she is on sick leave with a small child. The doctor noted that she does not intend to continue working at Soft Medical after this scandal.
