Russian liberal and conservative publications of the second half of the XIX century expressed different opinions on the activities of M. Muravyov-Vilensky, who headed the Russian administration in the North-Western provinces in 1863-64. During the uprising in Poland, the governor-general of Vilna had to use the repressive measures to resist the spread of the uprising in the territories under his administration. After the suppression of the uprising, he carried out a number of important and beneficial reforms in the province. Controversy in the press concerned the real scale of repressive measures and approaches to the further Russification of the region. The article compares the positions expressed in the pages of "Kolokol", "Moskovskie vedomosti", "Russky vestnik", "Russkoe slovo", "Russkaya starina". During Muravyov-Vilensky's life, the criticism of his measures was reflected only in the uncensored emigrant press, the Russian press consolidated in his support. Subsequently, his critics from the liberal camp mainly drew attention to the first (repressive) period of his activity, and the supporters focused on his reformatory detachment.