National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting asks NSDC and the SSU to fact-check the actions of Channel 4 owner
The National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting asks the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to fact-check the signs of collaborationism in the actions of People's Deputy Oleksiy Kovalyov.
This was announced on the NCTRB website.
In case these facts are confirmed and the deputy is brought to criminal responsibility, the regulator asks the SSU to take measures to cancel the registration and terminate the activities of TRC "Interradio" (Channel 4), of which Kovalyov is the ultimate beneficiary and owner.
The NCTRB made such a request after learning about Kovalyov's meeting with representatives of the russian government and his positive assessment of the actions of the aggressor state. In particular, the regulator notes, he reported on his Facebook page that the conversation was focused on Kherson region's new status, its "closest possible integration with russia," and "full-scale integration of Kherson agrarians into russia's economic model."
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, Oleksiy Kovalyov is the owner of TRC "Interradio," which has the NCTRB's license for satellite broadcasting under the "4" logo (combined). In addition, this company is the owner of Korona Sunrise LLC, which also has a license for digital broadcasting in the MX-5 multiplex under the “4” logo.
Currently, a statement from TRC "Interradio" about changing the owner, the ultimate beneficiary, and related parties, has been submitted to the NCTRB. As there were some remarks about the submitted documents, the regulator has not yet made a decision on re-registration.
"The owner of the informational activity subject (TV channel) may have a decisive influence on its management or economic activity, and therefore the NCTRB as a regulator is concerned that this media resource may be used by O. Kovalyov and related parties to undermine informational security," the NCTRB reported and, with regards to this possibility, appealed to the SSU and the National Security and Defense Council.
As IMI reported, on June 8, the owner of Channel 4, People's Deputy Oleksiy Kovalyov who had left for the occupied Kherson region, admitted that he was cooperating with the russian invaders, and supported the occupation of the region by russia. On the same day, the State Bureau of Investigation announced the beginning of criminal proceedings for collaborationist activities against Oleksiy Kovalyov.
on April 28, the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada suspended the membership of People's Deputy Oleksiy Kovalyov and appealed to the Prosecutor General and the head of the Security Service to initiate a case to investigate his stay in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region. The deputy is suspected of treason.
Kovalev was also expelled from the parliamentary faction of the Servant of the People political party.
Oleksiy Kovalyov called the decision to suspend his membership in the Servant of the People faction "unexpected" and unfounded.
On April 28, the staff of Channel 4 asked people not to identify the channel's employees with the behavior of the channel's owner Oleksiy Kovalyov. The channel stated that Kovalyov had not been in touch since the first days of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine and had not provided any support to the channel and its employees.
In late December 2021, it became known that Oleksiy Kovalyov bought Channel 4 from former People's Deputy Dmytro Dobrodomov.
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