Repentant Owners Bring TV To War Zone

Michael Hedges February 21, 2023 Follow on Twitter

Conflict has an immediate and enduring effect on all civic institutions. Disruption knows no boundaries, despite international conventions on such engagements. As the principle means for informing - and warning - non-combatants media infrastructure is vulnerable, often targeted, as much as housing and water supplies. When intentional, it is a war crime. While waiting for the esteemed tribunals to issue their verdicts, often a decade or more, media institutions either adapt or fail.

We are now a year into the horrific invasion of sovereign Ukraine by the Russian Federation. At the time, Ukraine’s media sphere was at best stable, at worst fragile. Presidential elections in 2019 pitted incumbent president Petro Poroshenko, also owner of a television channel and chocolate factory, against political newcomer and TV producer/performer Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Other TV owners, billionaires all, rallied - mostly - for Mr. Poroshenko. Mr. Zelenskyy won the presidency by a landslide; 73% in the second round.

Television developed quickly after the end of Soviet era state broadcasting are billionaires investing significantly. By the 2004 elections TV coverage was voters’ main source of information, all controlled by government-friendly billionaires. With the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 all Ukraine-based TV channels were removed from local distribution. Russian-language TV was widely viewed in the Russian-speaking Donbas regions, which were later annexed by the Russian Federation days before the full invasion in February 2022.

Immediately after the invasion four Ukrainian television broadcasters agreed to collaborate on a single channel for news and information programming - United News; 1+1, 2+2, 24 Kanal and TRC Ukraina. Not participating in United News are Starlight Media, operator of major TV channels including SBT and ICTV, principally owned by Victor Pinchuk. He has a foundation and a large yacht. GDF Media Limited operates TV channel Inter, the most watched in Ukraine. It may or may not be owned by Dmytro Firtash, a colorful “businessman” currently stuck in Austria while the US pursues money laundering claims. Like many others, Mr. Firtash has denounced the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine.

1+1 and 2+2 are - or were - owned by billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskyi, who supported the election of Mr. Zelenskyy. The Servant of the People series, starring Mr. Zelenskyy, was broadcast on 1+1. After indictment in the US for bank fraud, he was stripped of Ukrainian citizenship in July 2022. In November “many” of his assets were nationalized. 24 Kanal is owned by Lux Television and Radio Company.

TRC Ukraina had operated in the Russian-speaking Donetsk region, principally controlled by Rinat Akhmetov’s Media Group Ukraine. He relinquished control - returned all shares - in July 2022 and the company closed the 8 TV channels. Through the holding company SCM Mr. Akhmetov principally owned the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol that was completely flattened with hundreds of casualties by Russian Federation bombings between the first day of the invasion until mid-May. Mr. Akhmetov referred to Russian Federation president Vladimir V. Putin as a “war criminal,” quoted by Ukraine Pravda (March 5 2022). The Russian bombings of Mariupol also destroyed a maternity and children’s hospital.

Public broadcasting in Ukraine has had a boost after years of neglect. UA: Suspilne provides two national channels including main channel Pershyi and several regional channels. Satellite service for Pershyi was jammed three times in the last year, reported Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) (February 19). US:Suspilne is the co-organizer of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) with the BBC. Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 ESC with “Stefania” as Russian bombardments continued. Alas, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) felt holding the 2023 events in Ukraine would be far too dangerous.

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