Ukraine fines television station for pro-Russian rhetoric

The National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council
of Ukraine decided on Feb. 7 to impose a UAH 96,500 fine (USD 3,549) against
the NewsOne television network for broadcasting “calls for conducting an
aggressive war and/or inciting national, racial and religious enmity.” These
statements were recorded by the council’s monitors, as well as officers with
the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), who reported “hidden calls to aggressive
actions and programming for the aggressive behavior of viewers.” These calls
were made in July and September 2018 by Russian-oriented politicians, who used
Russian propaganda phrases such as “the war party,” “the peace party,”
“fratricidal war,” “Russia is defending its own interests” and “the world won’t
recognize Russian aggression,” as recorded by the SBU.

In its turn, the council’s monitors noted that the
television network allowed politicians to deny the presence of Russian soldiers
on Ukrainian territory, to justify Russia’s action against Ukraine’s
territorial integrity, to form the notion of the Ukrainian state as an
aggressor against a part of its own territory, and to describe Ukraine’s leadership
and population in terms of “fascism” and “national-socialism.”

Zenon Zawada: Once again,
the actions of the Russian government and its allies in Ukraine are testing the
limits of a liberal democracy that is being attempted in Ukraine. The mere participation
of Russian-oriented parties and politicians in this year’s elections, as
guaranteed by democratic norms, creates the inevitability of Russian propaganda
and talking points entering the political discourse in Ukraine. In essence,
Russia is exploiting the weakness of democracy institutions being attempted in
Ukraine to its own advantage, without respect for its norms and limits. This is
especially cynical as Russia continues to support military aggression in
Donbas, while claiming no involvement.

It will be impossible to eliminate the influence of
Russian propaganda while allowing Russian-oriented parties and politicians to
compete under equal conditions. To address this challenge, the government is
taking the approach of limiting their ability to say certain things, which
could work if the restrictions are limited to such light fines. But it will
backfire if the restrictions are too severe, making many Ukrainians question
whether the pro-Western forces are truly interested in democratic norms that
they claim to profess. The biggest factor in making Ukrainians side with Russia
is when pro-Western leaders don’t deliver on their pro-Western rhetoric and
promises, a factor that the Russians prey upon constantly.