NCTRB: Russia seized over 570 Ukrainian radio frequencies during occupation

Since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war, Ukrainian broadcasting companies have lost at least 575 frequencies in the territories occupied by Russia. This data was provided by the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting in response to a query by Detector Media.

Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk oblastst were first to be occupied: there, Russia seized 325 frequencies. After 2022, parts of Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts were captured as well, adding another 250 lost frequencies to the list.

Suspilne Broadcaster was affected the most, losing 115 radio frequencies in Crimea alone. The company lost dozens more in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

One of the most telling examples is the story of the Chornomorska BC. Following the annexation of Crimea, the company lost 17 frequencies and had to suspend operations, but the team moved to Kyiv and continued broadcasting via satellite and digital networks.

Network radio stations lost the most frequencies among commercial media groups. For instance, Tavr Group lost the frequencies of the following stations:

• Bayraktar (previously Russkoye Radio Ukraina) – 8 frequencies;
  
• Kiss FM – 6;
• Melodia FM – 5;
• Hit FM – 5;
• Nashe Radio – 5;
• Radio Rocks Ukraina – 3. 

Other large groups lost: 

• Lux FM – 4 frequencies;
• Pyatnytsia – 8;
• Radio NV – 5;
• Perets FM and Best FM – 3 frequencies each.

Local broadcasters were also affected, such as the Crimean Tatar radio Meydan, Hayat (based on the left bank of Kherson oblast), the state-owned Armiya FM, as well as Hromadske Radio, Krym. Realii, and Vilne Radio.

In Donetsk and Luhansk oblast, both national and local broadcasters lost frequencies to the occupation. Among them are Channel 6, Center, Pershyi Municipalnyi, KRT, Union, Don-Info, Avesta, LOT, LKT, IRTA. Some of them have been reformatted by the occupation authorities into propaganda channels (Luhansk 24, Union).

After the 2022 full-scale invasion, the newly occupied regions – Kherson and Zaporizhia – were the next areas to see losses. TV Berdyansk, the Melitopol City Council's TVM, Yug BC, MTV Plus had worked there. In Melitopol, the Russian forces created the propaganda channel Za TV.

In Kherson oblast, the occupiers seized and destroyed television towers, using them to broadcast Russian channels. Some local broadcasters ceased operations or lost their licenses.

According to the NCTRB, the loss of frequencies continues as long as the territories remain under Russia's control. Suspilne Broadcasting and large commercial networks were affected the most. Some of the media outlets evacuated and resumed broadcasting from other regions or online.

In November 2024, an engineer was sentenced to 11 years in prison for broadcasting Russian TV channels during the occupation of Kupyansk (Kharkiv oblast). He was convicted of collaborationism and justifying the war.