Alerts | Censorship and regulation

Russian forces cut off Ukrainian television and radio in at least 14 locations

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On 16 June 2022, the Ukrainian National Television and Radio Council sent a written response to Kyiv-based NGO IMI, detailing locations at which Russian occupying forces seized infrastructure to replace Ukrainian broadcasting with pro-Russian content. The forced seizure of broadcasting infrastructure took place in Zaporizhia, Kherson, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.

Zaporizhia region:

  • In the city of Berdyansk, Russian forces seized the premises and the frequency of the Azov Wave radio station, replacing it with pro-Russian content labelled as “Svobodnyy Berdyansk” (“Free Berdyansk”) radio.
  • In five cities (Melitopol, Berdyansk, Bilmak, Dniprorudne, Tokmak) multi-channel TV broadcasting centers were seized. According to the National Council, the following Russian channels are broadcast on the channels of the Zeonbud digital broadcast television operator: Channel 1, Russia 1, Russia 24, Russia K, NTV, Channel 5, Match TV, and Karusel. Three unnamed Russian radio stations are also broadcast.

Luhansk region:

  • In five cities and towns (Starobilsk and Svatove cities, Bilovodsk town, Zorynivka and Shiroky villages) multi-channel TV broadcasting centers were seized. On the channels belonging to Zeonbud, occupying forces broadcast the following Russian TV and radio stations: Channel 1/Match TV, NTV, Channel 5, Russia K, Karusel, OTR, TVC, Russia 1, Russia 24, Vesti FM, Radio Mayak, Radio of Russia, Spas, STS, Domashnyi, TV-3, Pyatnitsa, Zvezda, Mir, TNT, Muz-TV, MH-3: My planet, Science, Techno 24, Moscow 24, Channel 1 Music and Luhansk 24.

Kharkiv region:

  • In Kupyansk district, Russian forces seized the 91.0 – 92.0 MHz frequences to broadcast pro-Russian content labelled as “Radio Zhizn” (“Life Radio”).
  • In the city of Vovchansk and in the Chuhuyiv district, Russian forces seized the 90.0 – 91.0 MHz frequencies to broadcast pro-Russian content labelled as radio “Kharkiv Z”.

Kherson region:

  • In Kherson, Russian forces seized the frequencies of the Ukrainian “Army FM – military radio” (Central Television and Radio Studio of the Military Academy) and now broadcast content labelled as “Radio Russia”.

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