Editor’s note: Ukraine is launching a state-funded Russian-language TV channel, targeted at the population of the eastern Ukraine, especially the territories occupied by Russian-separatist forces. For this, the government is re-purposing UATV, a state-funded TV channel that produced content in English, Arabic, and a number of other languages. We asked people on the street in Kyiv whether they supported the initiative.
Vadym Prokopenko,
writer and war veteran
“I think that there are very few pro-Ukrainian people in the occupied territories who may be interested in this TV channel. So it is not worth it. But if the core idea is to influence the other 95%, it requires a systematic work of the government during at least 20 years. Now we need to find another way to deal with this problem.”
Anastasiya Denysenko,
student
“I wish that people in the occupied territories had access to Ukrainian TV channels, and to information from Ukraine. I’m from Donetsk Oblast, so I know that a lot of people there are very aware. They want a high-quality source of information.”
Danyil Monakh,
psychologist
“I think that, firstly, we need to define the status of the occupied territories. Right now, this state-sponsored TV channel is irrelevant.”
Valentyna Khramtsova,
financier
“Of course, we need this TV channel. We should have thought about it earlier. We must provide high-quality information for these people. They need to have a choice what TV channel to watch. They need to have access to different information”.
Viktor Nedostup,
farmer
“It is a good idea, because it the occupation is temporary. Maybe it helps in the de-occupation process.”
Olena Kurhanova,
research assistant
“It is illogical. I don’t understand the idea of creation a separate channel for occupied territories. We need common TV channels that will be connecting us.”
