Russian Propaganda in the World; a Field for Ukrainian Diplomacy and ‘Info Troops’ to Work In
Russian Propaganda in the World; a Field for Ukrainian Diplomacy and ‘Info Troops’ to Work In
The news about blocking Russian propaganda outlets around the world appear every day; yet, the process of cleaning the global info space from Putin’s lies is far from being over. Open satellites in Europe block only Russia Today TV and Sputnik radio. A lot of TV channels are still available unscrambled and may be watched for free anywhere, including Ukraine. Besides, Russia tries insuring its propaganda and moves broadcasting to its own satellites.
There is a score of unscrambled Russian channels available at open satellites. Also, Russian channels are included in the packages sold by paid TV providers. Certain European states, like Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, have started banning Russian channels on all possible platforms. However, broadcasting from open satellites remains a big issue as internal sanctions do not affect them.
Most satellites that broadcast Russian channels belong to the jurisdiction of France; those are Hotbird 13B/13C, Eutelsat 36B, Eutelsat 7/8, and Eutelsat 16A. The four Astra satellites are the responsibility of Luxembourg. There are also satellites within the jurisdiction of the USA, Turkey, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, and the Bermudas.
According to Valentyn Koval, First Deputy Head of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting, currently, only Russia Today channel, its local versions RT UK, RT DE, RT France, RT Spanish, and Sputnik radio have disappeared from all satellites that transmit signals available to Europe. This happened after the ban that had been imposed on the 2nd of March. “And this is the only thing that came through, Valentyn Koval says. Right after the start of war, National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting addressed European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA). There were pleas from media groups and other organizations, and from Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. The decision to stop spreading RT and Sputnik was made at the level of European Commission and was compulsory for all EU member states. Apart from that, Apple and Google deleted respective apps from their stores.”
The National Council sent letters to European regulating authorities that have satellite platforms within their jurisdiction. The satellite broadcasting facilities that perform re-broadcasting of those channels belong to the French company Globecast (part of France Тelecom), so the Council called for mass messaging at all accounts of the company with the demands to stop supporting war and aggression.
Yet, in case of disconnection form European satellites, Russia has prepared a backup of three satellites that broadcast over Europe.
On the 4th of March, the Russia’s First Channel announced that in case of disruption of broadcasting from satellites in Europe, Asia, and the US (that is the group of Eutelsat, Hotbird 13, and Asiasat 5) the signal can be received from three Russian satellites of Express; АМ8, 103, and АМ44. Oleksandr Hluschenko tells that two days before Russian invasion into Ukraine, the satellites Express AM-8, pos. 14 deg. W, Express AM -6, pos. 53 deg. E, and Yamal-402, pos. 55 deg. E, received two multiplexes with Russian federal TV channels, RTRS1 and RTRS2, identified as “Crimea.” The signal is re-broadcast in T2-MI format, in which the Ukrainian Zeonbud works. First Channel, Russia-1, and Match-TV are broadcast unscrambled. “This was done in order to turn the antenna and reset the equipment for launching their own multiplexes with the whole range of Russian channels in case of capturing Ukrainian cities and BRT Concern towers,” the expert explained.
Also, Russia is preparing to unplug Russian TV channels from European satellites. At the same Express-AM-8, pos. 14 deg. W, at 11.628 MHz, two Russian First Channel streams (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4) are present. Those are copies of the channels available at Hotbird. International versions of their channels are being transferred by Russians on their own satellites as backup. All this is happening on the background of Globecast, being a part of Orange (France Telecom) that re-broadcasts HotBird signal with more than 10 propagandist channels, ignoring messages from Ukraine, Ukrainian citizens, mass media, and ministries and giving Russians a chance to move their broadcasting facilities and notifying their European partners of the backup on a different satellite,” Oleksandr Hluschenko told us.
Currently, Express-АМ8 broadcasts the following Russian channels; RT Español, RT Arabic, RT International, RT France, RT DE, RT English, Karusel, Pobeda, Zvezda, Al Manar TV, Mir, TNT, MuzTV, Mir 24, Moskva 24, REN-TV, Spas, STS, Domashniy, TV3 Russia, Pyatnitsa, First Channel Europe, Russia 1, First Channel, NTV, Match, 5th Channel, and Russia 24. Also, the following radio channels; Radio Sputnik, Vesti FM, Radio Mayak, and Radio Russia. There’s also a couple of Crimean channels on it. The signal of Express satellite covers the whole Europe, part of Northern Africa, and Middle East.
Apart from the endeavors to stop the broadcast of Russian propagandist channels at open satellites, several European states are limiting their showing at their own territories via various technologies of paid TV. After the address of the Ukrainian regulatory authority, EPRA began gathering information on the measures against detected Russian propaganda and announcing it at its official website.
On the 25th of February, Polish media regulatory authority Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji deleted Russian channels Russia Today, RT Documentary, RTR Planeta, Soyuz, and Russia 24 from the registry of permitted media. According to Valentyn Koval, Poland is not blocking the channels at the ІР stream level, but national providers that cover about 90 per cent of the Polish audience were denied re-broadcasting them.
On the 25th of February, the regulating authority for protecting consumer rights of Estonia (CTRA) denied telecom operators broadcasting the channels RTR Planeta, NTV Mir, Belarus 24, Russia 24, and TVCI at the territory. The same was done by Lithuania and Latvia. “Our letters to European regulating authorities were most earnestly met by the Latvian and Lithuanian ones, Valentyn Koval says. They stopped broadcasting dozens of Russian channels. Those countries know well what Russia is and they’re aware that they may be next right after Ukraine.”
The Latvian regulating authority NEPLP banned broadcasting the channels RTR, Russia 24, TVS, Mir 24, RTV, TNT- Comedy, TNT4 International, TNT, TNT Music, Pyatnitsa, KKhL TV, Kinopremyera, Kinosvidanie, Muzhskoye Kino, Avto Plus, Nostalgia, Kto Est Kto, Malysh TV, Russkaya Noch, TVCI, and Belarus 24.
The Lithuanian regulating authority RTCL banned RTR Planeta, Russia 24, NTV-Mir, Belarus 24, Mir 24, RVK (First Baltic Channel), and TVS. It also asked the government to give a legal permission to ban the broadcast by Gazprommedia, a company affiliated with the bank that had been sanctioned by the EU.
Instead of the three blocked Russian channels, Latvia and Lithuania asked Ukrainian National Council to suggest a number of Ukrainian, preferably Russian-language TV channels. “We don’t have any of these, Valentyn Koval says, but, within 24 hours, we arranged broadcasting of our national TV marathon with Russian translation and we provided two channels, one with original and one with Russian soundtrack. By the 7th of March we set up an English-language soundtrack as well. Spain and Baltic States were really looking forward to that.”
According to National Council, Romania, Greece, and Moldova have also stopped all broadcasting of Russian channels via the legal platforms of paid TV.
In the UK, RT channel was removed from all TV platforms. Besides, the national regulating authority Ofcom has initiated 27 proceedings concerning Russia Today as well as the talks about suspending its license. The regulating authority of Bulgaria CEM has limited re-broadcasting of RT and Sputnik.
Rada pre vysielanie a retransmisiu, the regulating authority of Slovakia, expressed its support for local operators that decided to stop broadcasting Russian channels.
On the 8th of March, the three largest Internet providers of the Netherlands, according to the information of Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation of the Netherlands, banned access to Russia Today and Radio Sputnik. In a part of Belgium, Russian propaganda channels were removed from cable broadcasting and other platforms, too.
