Kremlin-backed TV news channel Russia Today has had its broadcasting licence revoked by British authorities this morning. The move, which is another step towards isolating Russia culturally, comes as airstrikes were reported in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv.
Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, says it took the decision after 29 investigations were launched into its parent-licensee — ANO TV Novosti — over the impartiality of its coverage of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s troops. In a statement, the regulator said ANO was being investigated seperately to determine if it was ‘fit and proper to retain its licence to broadcast’.
A statement released by the regulator on Friday (March 18) said: “We consider the volume and potentially serious nature of the issues raised within such a short period to be of great concern – especially given RT’s compliance history, which has seen the channel fined £200,000 for previous due impartiality breaches.
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“In this context, we launched a separate investigation to determine whether ANO TV Novosti is fit and proper to retain its licence to broadcast.”
The freedom of expression is ‘something we guard fiercely in this country’, Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes added. She explained: “Freedom of expression is something we guard fiercely in this country, and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high.
“Following an independent regulatory process, we have today found that RT is not fit and proper to hold a licence in the UK. As a result we have revoked RT’s UK broadcasting licence.”
Ofcom’s decision comes on the morning that the Russian military continued its assault on Ukrainian cities, with the western stronghold of Lviv being its next target. Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on messaging app Telegram that missiles had struck military aircraft repair facilities and also damaged a bus repair site.
No casualties were reported from the bombing, which was launched from the Black Sea, Ukraine’s air force said on social media. The attack does come as another reminder, though, that Lviv is not being spared in conflict — with the city close to the Polish border seeing an influx of 200,000 people as Ukrainians flee from the worst of the fighting in the eastern portion of the country.
