Ukraine’s Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal has upheld the final decision in the case concerning the rebroadcasting of Russian TV channels in the country.
In a note, the regulator National Council says the channels in question are First Channel World Network, RTR Planeta, Rossiya 24, NTV Mir, RBC TV and TV Center International.
It adds that the Court of Appeal decided to close the proceedings in this case and cancel the decision of the preliminary court, since, according to his verdict, the consideration of such disputes is outside the administrative jurisdiction of administrative courts.
At the same time, earlier decisions of the National Council were adopted and the current legislation prohibits the retransmission of these TV channels in cable networks in Ukraine.
The National Council also says that Ukrainian legislation that regulates broadcasting and information has been significantly tightened up since 2014. All foreign channels originating outside the EU or a country that ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television may only be retransmitted in Ukraine provided that their content meets the requirements of domestic legislation and the Convention. Providers that distribute channels which fail to meet these requirements are also liable to being fined 25% of their licence fee.