Former Current Time TV host Iryna Romaliyska has said in an interview with Yellow Blue that she had faced provocations and imperialist remarks by her Russian colleague Timur Olevsky while working at the channel. In particular, he would joke about the possibility of Russia annexing Chernihiv oblast.

Romaliyska said that displays of chauvinism and imperialism would often be disguised as jokes, but were clearly intended to provoke her.

Iryna Romaliyska. Photo via Iryna Romaliyska on Facebook

Romaliyska recalled Olevsky bringing up the possibility of Chernihiv oblast being annexed by Russia, first addressing the room in general, then repeating it to her personally.

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“I remember Timur Olevsky, whom many in Ukraine like so much, walking around joking. You know that thing people do, when they say some crap out loud that’s meant to get under the skin of someone standing nearby, but they don’t address that person directly. So he would walk around saying, ‘Look how beautifully Chernihiv oblast is joining Russia.’ I would stay silent, realising this was a challenge to me. At some point he would lose patience, come up to me and say, ‘Ira, look how beautifully Chernihiv oblast is joining Russia.’ I would say, ‘Timur, do you find that funny? I don’t, if you were wondering,’” the journalist recalled.

Romaliyska said that such remarks would be made not just during informal talks but during work meetings as well: people could say that “Moldova is not a real country” and make other imperialist claims during weekly team meetings, she added.

Previously

TV host and journalist Iryna Romaliyska reported having been dismissed from Current Time TV in April 2026.

In July 2026, she joined the YouTube channel Butusov+ as host of a weekly live programme.

In August 2026, Iryna Romaliyska shared details of her dismissal from the international TV channel Current Time/Nastoyaschee Vremya in April 2026. She alleged that the decision to dismiss her had been related to the changes in editorial policy, the channel’s Russia-centric vector, and her prolonged conflict with management over coverage of Russia’s war against Ukraine.