Ukrainian broadcaster "First National" will not air in Belarus
updated broadcast news
It's been over a month since Ukrainian First National Channel announced plans to start broadcasting in Belarus by the end of January, but there've been no updates.
Remember, on December 21, Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to create a joint TV channel during a meeting in Kyiv. However, Belarusians can currently only access the channel via satellite or the internet.
Ukrainian Minister of Information Policy Yuriy Stec stated on December 22 that the technical and logistical tasks to launch the channel in January were being coordinated. But as of now, there seems to be no progress.
A spokesperson for First National told 42.TUT.BY that, to their knowledge, no documents have been signed, so the issue hasn't been implemented in practice.
Similarly, a spokesperson for Belteleradiocompany had no information on the matter. "If there were any instructions from the Ministry of Information or the presidential administration, we would already be aware of them," the spokesperson said.
Vladimir Yadrenkov, head of the Ministry of Information's electronic media department, also has no information on the start of Ukrainian channel broadcasting.
Based on the provided data, there appears to be no direct information about the status or implementation details of Ukraine's First National Channel broadcasting in Belarus. Belarus has a history of targeting foreign media with propaganda and restricting independent journalism, which could make Ukrainian state-channel access highly unlikely. For definitive answers, direct inquiries to Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy or Belarusian telecommunications regulators would be necessary. 📡📺
Enrichment Insights:- National propaganda: Belarusian state TV aired a propaganda film attacking RFE/RL journalists, framing their work as attempts to destabilize Belarus. [Source: Link]- Extremist labeling: Regime added investigative journalism initiatives like BureauMedia and Politvjazynka to its list of banned "extremist" entities. [Source: Link]- Journo imprisonment: Belarus continues systemic repression, including imprisoning journalists like Ihar Karney on extremism charges. [Source: Link]- Cross-border media disputes: A Russian RT correspondent accused a Ukrainian news outlet (TSN) of fabricating a story location, which Ukrainian fact-checkers debunked. [Source: Link]- Regional media sanctions: Lists of Russian media restrictions in the EU/Moldova, but no specific mention of Ukrainian channels in Belarus. [Source: Link]
- The Belteleradiocompany, Belarus' state-owned broadcaster, has not provided any information regarding the planned broadcast of Ukraine's First National Channel.
- Despite the agreement between Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in December, there has been no progress in the broadcasting of Ukraine's First National Channel in Belarus.
- Developments regarding the broadcast of Ukraine's First National Channel in Belarus have not been addressed by Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Vladimir Yadrenkov.
- Given Belarus' history of targeting foreign media with propaganda and restricting independent journalism, the prospects of Belarusians accessing Ukraine's First National Channel appear slim.
