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At that time, the pro-Russian party “Opposition Platform – For Life” is initiating an indictment of the president for this decision, said one of the leaders of this party, MP Vadymas Rabinovyčius.
The pro-Russian television ban came into effect early Wednesday after Zelensky issued an order imposing sanctions on Pro-Russian MP Taras Kozak and eight of his companies, including three television channels.
The televisions (112 Ukraine, Zik TV and NewsOne TV) are officially owned by Kozak, but they are also linked to influential MP Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky’s order, issued Tuesday night, does not state the reasons for the ban, but the president’s representative called the three televisions a “propaganda tool” and said they were receiving funding “from Russia.”
“These media have become one of the tools of the war with Ukraine, which is why they have been blocked to ensure national security,” Julia Mendel wrote on Facebook.
Critics say the move, which took place the day after Latvia left several Russian television channels, is detrimental to freedom of expression.
Zelensky said Wednesday on his social network that his country supports freedom of expression, “not propaganda financed by aggressors.”
“Sanctions are a difficult decision. Ukraine strongly supports freedom of expression. No propaganda funded by an aggressor country that hurts Ukraine on its way to the European Union and Euro-Atlantic integration.” The struggle for independence is a struggle in the information war for truth and European values, “he said.
Banned television, which was abandoned by most cable networks on Wednesday, has criticized the move, calling it “political repression against unsolicited media.”
The situation in the country will not improve if Zelensky closes “uncomfortable” channels, according to a joint statement posted on the “112 Ukraine” website.
At the time, the Kremlin condemned the Kiev move and called on the international community to heed it.
“We cannot condemn these actions of the Ukrainian authorities. Of course, the restriction and even the ban on the activities of television channels do not comply with international standards or the general understanding of media freedom,” said Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s representative.
He stressed that “the government’s decision to restrict the work of the media is a fact that should probably be taken into account by organizations such as the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and other international organizations.”
Ukraine has been fighting Kremlin-backed separatists in the east of its territory since 2014. The conflict arose after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.
Zelensky came to power in 2019 promising to end the war in eastern Ukraine, but he did not swiftly deliver on this and other promises. The popularity of the president and his ruling party has waned in recent months.
In response to the presidential decree on Wednesday, V. Rabinovich told the Verkhovna Rada: “Today, for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, three major television channels were immediately closed … We will hold an extraordinary congress in the next few future to decide on our next steps … the impeachment of President Zelensky, who mocked the electorate and the country. “
Zelensky’s decision was also condemned by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, which said it would report to the International Federation of Journalists, the European Federation of Journalists and the OSCE Office of Media Freedom.
“Without a court, depriving a multi-million dollar audience of the opportunity [matyti] Ukrainian media [darbą], taken from hundreds of journalists and [kitų] the right of media workers to a profession is an attack on freedom of expression. The Ukrainian political affiliation of registered media owners in Ukraine is not a crime, “wrote Serhiy Tomilenka, president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, on Facebook.
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