Russian Prosecution Halts Broadcasts of Two Independent Media Outlets Reporting on Ukraine Invasion

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Russian prosecution has notified that it will suspend the broadcasts of two independent media outlets for violating reporting rules related to the invasion of Ukraine. This move is interpreted as a full-scale media crackdown amid growing anti-war protests within Russia, following the Russian military's indiscriminate bombing operations targeting civilian residential areas in Ukraine.

According to CNN on the 1st (local time), the Russian prosecution stated in a press release, "We are suspending the broadcasts of Echo of Moscow and TV Rain," adding, "These two media outlets violated broadcasting guidelines related to public order and security and are considered to have incited illegal assemblies conducted without government approval, leading to the decision to suspend their broadcasts."

Earlier, Roskomnadzor, Russia's broadcasting and telecommunications supervisory agency, announced on the 27th of last month that it would suspend all broadcasts of 10 independent media outlets across Russia, including the two mentioned, if they did not stop spreading false information using terms such as 'attack' or 'invasion' in relation to the Ukraine war. The Russian government is currently promoting the narrative that the Ukraine war is not an invasion by their country.

The reason the Russian government has begun to actively control independent media is interpreted as a response to the Russian military shifting its operations to indiscriminate bombings of major Ukrainian cities. According to the Associated Press, the Russian military resumed airstrikes on major metropolitan areas including Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and Kharkiv, the second-largest city, on this day, with dozens of civilians reported injured.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Russian military bombed and destroyed a TV broadcasting tower located northwest of Kyiv, resulting in five deaths from the attack. In Kharkiv, eight people died due to shelling of civilian residential areas, and an additional 10 fatalities were reported from shelling of the regional government building.

The Russian military had announced a temporary halt to airstrikes on major cities since the 26th and declared negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation, but after a large convoy centered on armored units arrived near Kyiv on this day, bombing resumed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly condemned the attacks in a video speech on the morning of the same day, stating, "The attack on Kharkiv is a war crime. This is Russian state terrorism."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.