Russian TV Station in Latvia Loses Licence Over Ukraine War Coverage – Following a scandal involving its coverage of the war in Ukraine, Latvia has revoked the broadcast license of TV Rain, an independent Russian television station broadcasting from exile. Shortly after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the liberal television station relocated to Riga, the capital of Latvia, as well as Tbilisi and Amsterdam. Russian regulators had blocked TV Rain’s website, and its journalists feared facing criminal charges for speaking out against the war and, under new legislation, for “discrediting the Russian army.”
On Tuesday, Latvia became the second country this year to cut TV Rain’s broadcasts, saying the decision was taken “in connection with threats to national security and public order.” TV Rain called the accusations against the channel “unfair and absurd.” The decision followed on-air remarks by an anchor who said that he hoped the station’s reports on abuses and mismanagement by the Russian state during Moscow’s mass mobilisation drive “were able to help many servicemen, including, for example, with equipment and just basic amenities at the front.”
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The statements were interpreted as evidence that the channel sympathized with the Russian military, which the anchor had referred to as “our army,” and had even supplied equipment to the armed forces. Tikhon Dzyadko, the station’s editor-in-chief, quickly clarified that the journalist erred and that the station was not providing aid to the Russian army. The station also let go of its anchor. Despite this, the damage was done. The National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) of Latvia, a media regulator, announced on Tuesday that the station had committed multiple violations of its standards and would be barred from broadcasting on Latvian television on December 8.
The channel was also accused of not including Latvian subtitles in its coverage and of displaying a map that included Crimea, a peninsula occupied by Russian forces in 2014, as part of Russia. It is internationally recognized as a part of Ukraine. The regulator also said it “was convinced that the management of TV Rain did not understand the nature and gravity of each individual infringement, nor of any set of infringements.” “The laws of Latvia must be respected by everyone,” tweeted Ivars Abolins, chairman of the NEPLP.
The furore over the TV station, which has produced critical reporting of the Russian government for more than a decade, provides a vivid illustration of distrust of the Russian opposition and opponents of the war in exile. Latvia’s state security service announced an investigation into TV Rain last week, saying it “has repeatedly alerted the decision-makers about the various risks emanating from Russia’s so-called independent media relocating their activity to Latvia.” A number of prominent European figures have spoken out in support of TV Rain, noting that the TV station is one of few homegrown media outlets capable of reaching Russians with an anti-war message.
“It’s war, and emotions are running high, but the wisdom of this decision eludes me. It will mightily please the Kremlin and be used by them,” wrote Carl Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “I hope TV Rain can find a new home and continue its important mission.” The Russian government appeared gleeful at the decision, saying it showed that freedom of speech in Europe was an “illusion.”
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“Some always think that it’s better somewhere else than at home,” said Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. “And some always think that it’s freedom somewhere else and it’s unfreedom at home. This is a vivid example demonstrating how erroneous such illusions are.” The TV station vowed to fight on, saying it would continue to broadcast online while seeking a longer term solution. “Don’t bury us too soon,” wrote one journalist who had worked with the channel. “We are working. We are managing it.”