Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council has imposed restrictive measures on a number of pro-Russian TV channels.
According to the regulator National Council, they were enacted by a presidential decree signed on February 2 and are in effect for a period of five years. The legal entities affected by the action include Ariadna TV, New Format TV, Leader TV, TV Vybir, Partner TV, 112-TV, 24 Hours News and New Communications.
The sanctions are in the form of “revocation or suspension of licenses and other permits, the receipt (availability) of which is a condition for carrying out a certain type of activity; ban on the use of radio frequency resources of Ukraine; termination of provision of retransmission/distribution of television programs / provision of telecommunication services and use of public telecommunication networks”.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has also sanctioned the opposition lawmaker Taras Kozak.
Kyiv Post reports that although he ostensibly owns three pro-Russian TV channels, they are actually controlled by the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk.
