Friday, March 04, 2022

Russian news network staff walks off set to end broadcast amid crackdown on media

March 4, 2022


As Russia continues to crack down on independent media outlets within its borders, one television news channel ended its broadcast by showing staffers walking off a set Thursday in an act of protest.

Regulators in Russia accused the channel, also known as Dozhd or TV Rain, of “inciting extremism, abusing Russian citizens, causing mass disruption of public calm and safety, and encouraging protests,” the BBC reported.

“We need strength to exhale and understand how to work further. We really hope that we will return to the air and continue our work, “Natalya Sindeeva, CEO of Dozhd, said in a statement posted to social media.

Dozhd has also halted its website. Independent Russian news media is increasingly coming under scrutiny as news about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine depicts the struggles faced by the military as casualties on the battlefield and global criticism continue to mount.

Radio station Ekho Moskvy also had its website blocked, Reuters reported.

“The Ekho Moskvy board of directors has decided by a majority of votes to liquidate the radio channel and the website of Ekho Moskvy,” Editor-in-Chief Alexei Venediktov wrote on messaging app Telegram.

Russia has repeatedly rejected the terms “war” and “invasion” over its incursion into Ukraine and had accused the West of spreading disinformation with help from media outlets.

On Friday, President Vladimir Putin signed into law a measure that could jail journalists for up to 15 years for reporting “fake” news about the military and invasion that conflicts with statements from Russian officials.

At the start of the war, Mikhail Zygar, the founder of Dozhd, posted an open letter signed by journalists condemning the invasion.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine is a shame,” he wrote. “This is our shame, but unfortunately, our children will also have to bear the responsibility for it, a generation of very young and not yet born Russians.”

In response to the new law, some media outlets have ceased reporting from Russia and will report on the war from outside the country. The BBC said more Russians are tuning in for factual information.

The BBC’s Russian language news website tripled its year-to-date weekly average viewership with 10.7 million people in the last week, the outlet said earlier this week.

“It’s often said truth is the first casualty of war. In a conflict where disinformation and propaganda is rife, there is a clear need for factual and independent news people can trust – and in a significant development, millions more Russians are turning to the BBC,” Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, said in a statement. “We will continue giving the Russian people access to the truth, however we can.”

The post Russian news network staff walks off set to end broadcast amid crackdown on media appeared first on Fox News.


The Russian elite daughters of Putin’s inner circle are using Instagram to slam his invasion of Ukraine


Carmela Chirinos
Thu, March 3, 2022

Young Russian elites are advocating for peace in Ukraine on social media, highlighting the generational divide that threatens Putin's power in Russia.

Russian elites publicly protesting the war include the children of oligarchs and government officials close to Putin.

Sofia Abramovich is a 26-year-old professional equestrian. In a post to her Instagram story, she said Putin is the one that wants war, not Russia. The post explained that the rhetoric of Russia wanting war was Kremlin propaganda.

Sofia’s father Roman Abramovich is the embattled owner of Chelsea FC. Despite accusations, he denies having links to the Kremlin.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYZI_pQrkAb/

Ksenia Sobchak, a socialite and former presidential candidate, has fled Russia and is now in Turkey with her son. Her parents are the former mayor of St. Petersburg and a Russian senator. She has kept advocating, and yesterday posted a picture to Instagram calling for a cease-fire. The caption reads that she is scared and calls on Putin and his government to end the war.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CamxdozMf64/

Elizaveta (Lisa) Peskova, the daughter of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also posted to her Instagram account. For a brief hour, a story included the hashtag #notothewar.

Peskova is the vice president of the Foundation for the Development of Russian-French Historical Initiatives and appears to be close to her father.

Last week, her father stood up for the arrests of protesters saying that by law, rallies are not allowed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVIlI1rjIDM/

Maria Yumasheva, the granddaughter of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin and daughter of current government advisor Valentin Yumashev, has also shown support for Ukraine. Yumasheva’s father helped Putin come to power by suggesting he would be a great candidate to Yelstin, the former president of Russia. Yumasheva’s latest Instagram post shows a photo of the Ukrainian flag captioned “no war,” and she tweeted the same, according to Yahoo.

The 19-year-old attended an anti-war rally in London earlier last week to show her solidarity with Ukrainians. Her fiancé Fedor Smolov, a striker for Dynamo Moscow and Russia, was was one of the first national team players to speak up against the invasion.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaW1gXSrQKW/

Andrey Rublev has also spoken out. The 24-year-old Russian tennis player wrote on the TV camera, “No war please,” after winning a match in Dubai.

These young elites are not alone, and many in the world share the sentiment. Rallies around the world have broken out against the Kremlin.

In Russia, around 1,700 people have been arrested since the invasion started, and last week someone even wrote “No to War” on the front door of the Russian parliament.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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