Maryna Pomazanova: It’s enough to simply cut off power to stop Russian TV channels broadcast in Donetsk and Lugansk regions

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Kyiv, 23 June 2014 – “Today there is a technical opportunity to stop broadcast of Russian TV channels in Donetsk and Lugansk regions. To have it done power supply needs to be cut off for all communication lines and electricity bills need not to be paid,” said Maryna Pomazanova, Head of  the Department for government relations, public relations & international cooperation at the Broadcasting, Radiocommunication & Television Group of Companies at a briefing in the Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “Transmission of Ukrainian TV channels in Donbas is off for two months now, while the information broadcast by Russian channels misleads and confuses local population. At the same time BRT group of companies keeps on paying electricity bills on a regular basis and by doing so extends the term for Russian channels broadcast. Staff of the group of companies considers it a crime and thus we have addressed Ukraine’s Security Service with a respective claim. Two criminal proceedings have been started,” she said.

“Previous management of the group of companies issued an order, continued Pavlo Bilonozhko, Head of public and media relations sector at the BRT group of companies. – According to the order in case broadcast centers are seized the staff is obliged to cut off the power supply and leave the territory. However the order was cancelled by Mr. Pivnyuk, new Director General of the Group of companies”.

Mrs. Pomazanova noted: “Today there has been an attempt to force open the door of the cabinet where the documents are stored, the documents confirm state ownership rights on the Group’s capital assets: land, buildings, towers, power lines etc.”

Company staff has turned for help to the police, Security Service and other competent authorities as well as wrote respective letters to the President and the Prime Minister of Ukraine requesting to legally evaluate the actions of the new management of the Group and investigate the above facts.