The cancellation of the teleconference between the Russian TV channel Russia 1 and the Ukrainian NEWSONE is a manifestation of the policy of the “war party”. The announcement was made by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev during a meeting with the head of the political council of the Ukrainian party Opposition Platform - For Life, Viktor Medvedchuk and its leader, Yuriy Boyko.
“I really also sincerely hope that these strange tendencies and these strange actions that representatives, as you said,“ parties of war ”who actively express themselves in your country, will still be in the past, and that contacts between people really will be the same, ”Medvedev said.
“I would say that this is paranoia, this is paranoid behavior, and this is all the legal curwling that has unfolded around this,” said the Russian Prime Minister.
Earlier, the Russia 1 TV channel announced a teleconference with NewsOne, which was due on July 12. However, in Ukraine, the initiative provoked harsh criticism of the channel. A meeting of nationalists began near the building of the Ukrainian media regulator. At the same time, the country's Prosecutor General’s Office opened criminal proceedings against NEWSONE under articles on treason and the financing of terrorism. Later NEWSONE canceled the teleconference due to threats against its journalists.
Medvedev stressed that teleconferences were carried out even during the cold war between the USSR and the USA, “and then no one initiated criminal cases.”
The owner of the TV channel NewsOne, a member of the political council of the Opposition Platform - For Life party and the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Taras Kozak also attended the meeting with Medvedev. He noted that despite what happened, the teleconference will take place on July 12, but will be held on Russian television.
“Thanks to your journalists who do not leave this topic, because the share of Russian television in Ukraine is also there, there are satellite dishes and people are watching, people see the truth because they wanted to talk without politics,” said Kozak.
- Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, during a meeting with the delegation of the Ukrainian party Opposition Platform - For Life
- RIA News
- © Dmitry Astakhov
On July 10, a statement was published on the NEWSONE website, stating that the leadership of Ukraine is putting pressure on independent journalists and bloggers, and is not investigating criminal cases initiated in connection with the attacks on employees of the TV channel.
“The authorities regularly pressured the uncontrolled media with checks and threats of prohibition. Employees of the NEWSONE channel are trying to intimidate with the same methods now. Especially hardened independent media harassment on the eve of elections. As long as political leaders are PR and are fighting for votes, the authorities, called upon to protect journalistic rights, play up to them, ”the NEWSONE website says.
The space bridge could demonstrate the contradiction between the official policy of Kiev and the real state of affairs, and therefore the authorities of the country decided not to allow it. This opinion was expressed in a conversation with RT by Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the Center for Research at the IMEMO RAN.
“Conducting such a space bridge, which would have the character of direct and unprepared expression of their moods and thoughts by Ukrainian citizens, could go against the line of propaganda and, thus, would refute what it imposes on some state of conflict between Russia and Ukraine. We see the suppression of dissent and attempts to monopolize the assessment, ”the expert is convinced.
“It was a good and right initiative.”
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky also commented on the situation with the TV channel. He said that people who do not support Ukrainian politics should not “monopolize” the country's TV.
“During the war, any people who do not have a pro-Ukrainian vision cannot monopolize the Ukrainian channel. We have to deal with this, - said the head of state. “Such people as Mr. Medvedchuk will not allow our Ukrainian television to monopolize.”
In turn, the Kremlin expressed regret that the space bridge did not take place. As the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov noted, such an event could allow discussing the relations of countries in different periods.
“In general, we certainly regret that this teleconference did not take place. We still believe that this was a very good and correct initiative of the two TV channels, but apparently the Ukrainian side is not ready for this, ”said Peskov.
At the same time, Zelensky’s position actually repeats the policy of his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, stressed the deputy of the State Duma from the Republic of Crimea Ruslan Balbek.
“Some kind of delusions of grandeur in the official Kiev, they say, Ukraine can be loved only through hatred of Russia, there are no other options. It is especially unpleasant to hear it from a person who was not so long ago in opposition to the authorities, and now he is repeating the theses of his predecessors, ”he said in a conversation with RT.
The refusal of the teleconference is explained by the ideology that has arisen in Ukraine, within which the positive influence of ties with Russia is denied, says Professor at the Department of Comparative Political Science at RUDN University Yury Pochta.
“This corresponds to the interests of the nationalists, who to a certain extent form the Ukrainian modern state ideology, this also corresponds to the interests of external forces. The image of Russia as an enemy, as an existential threat has been formed, ”he said in an interview with RT.
The post office stressed that countries maintain cultural, economic and diplomatic ties, but at the same time, the leadership is trying to formulate a position that there is a war between Kiev and Moscow.
“There is a real picture, and there is a hyperreality - a picture of the“ terrible battle of Ukrainians with evil and cunning Russians ”. Zelensky, unfortunately, represents this hyperreality, ”the expert stated.