Ukrainian regulators have taken steps to cut off the most influential Russian television channels from cable broadcasting networks
In what many view as a blatant attempt to cut off the Kremlin’s propaganda machine, Ukrainian regulators have taken steps to cut off of the most influential Russian television channels from cable broadcasting networks. The cutoff is effective Nov. 1.
Russian TV channels are notorious for slanted news coverage that portrays their country and leadership in a positive light while bombarding viewers with negative coverage of events in the West, as well as unflattering portrayals of pro-Western allies in such former Soviet republics as Ukraine and Georgia. The nation’s pro-Western leadership has repeatedly complained of the Kremlin’s spin.
But the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting, the regulatory body which imposed the controversial cutoffs, insists its decision is not politically motivated. The council also said that Russian channels, such as Ren TV, ORT and TV-Center, have not been singled out.
Ihor Kurus, first deputy head of the council, rejected claims that the cutoff is intended to deny Ukrainian viewers Russian-language programming. He said the council’s decision “has nothing to do with language” or attempts to specifically bloc Russian channels.
“The rule does not just apply to Russian channels,” he said.
The council insists the decision is an attempt to enforce international standards, especially an as-yet unenforced law on rebroadcasting that dates back to March 2006.
Indeed, the council points to 83 foreign channels which are allowed to continue broadcasting, a significant number of which are in the Russian language. Channels broadcasting in other languages will also be affected, the council’s press office said, including some from the United States, Georgia and China.
The law requires any channel from a country outside the European Union that has not joined the European Convention on Trans-frontier Television to adapt to Ukrainian legislation. The main concerns are about channels that do not comply with rules regulating nudity, pornography, foul language and advertising. Sales and taxes paid for ads on affected channels are not settled in Ukraine, so the country loses out on badly-needed proceeds.
Still, Kurus declined to specify which rules the affected Russian channels had broken.
Media watchdogs and Moscow-friendly politicians in Ukraine see the controversial moves as a blackout specifically targeting Russian television media.
The Party of Regions was quick to accuse the council of violating Ukraine’s constitution, which guarantees freedom of language and speech, in addition to citizens’ right to information.
Otar Dovzhenko, deputy editor of the media watchdog magazine Telekritika, said the major reasons behind the ban are commercial and political. On one hand, “it’s an attempt to protect the information sphere and stop access to anti-Ukrainian propaganda spread by Russia,” he said.
On the other hand, the government wants a piece of the advertising pie. Moreover, the Russian channels also siphon viewers from Ukrainian channels, which often show the same programs, Dovzhenko added.
The ban brought a sharp response from Russia.
A spokesman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry called it “a violation of Russia-Ukraine agreements on mass media cooperation and an infringement of neighborly relations.”
The Ukrainian council’s Kurus said he is, nevertheless, hopeful that talks with Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the channels will solve the issue. “I have the impression that they understand the problems and intend to solve them,” he said.
The timing of the ban has raised speculation that it is an attempt to reduce Russian interference in the run-up to the snap parliamentary elections, tentatively scheduled for December. But Dovzhenko said he expects Ukrainian and Russian officials to reach an agreement before the election.
The path toward agreement may be complicated. Cable operators could challenge the ban in court or just refuse to abide.
“Turning the channels off is a sinister measure,” said Natalya Klitna, general director of Ukrteleset, an association of cable television operators. “They should have found a compromise.”
Oleksander Shvets, general director of the Ukrainian Union of Cable Television, complained that the council’s decisions have not been published in a legal way. In a statement, his union said that the decision would have a negative effect on cable providers, since most people subscribe to the service specifically for their Russian channels.
Shvets said he expects possible court challenges and other reversals of the council’s decision. For example, he cited Zaporizhya, where local authorities ordered cable television operators to restart the broadcasting of banned channels. Still, an estimated 60 percent of cable providers had already removed the channels by Oct. 22.
Fans of Russian channels can rest assured that a complete blackout is impossible. These stations can still be viewed via the Internet or satellite.
“Half the people will accept it,” Shvets said, “and half will find a way around it.”
