NewsOne considers protest action as pressure case

The NewsOne editorial board has considered the action of protest under its office as a pressure case, as the journalists claimed in its statement, made public by Interfax-Ukraine. “We, members of the international editorial board of the TV channel NewsOne, strongly condemn the fact of unprecedented pressure by far right extremists and intimidation of journalists of the TV channel as they exercised their professional duties”, the statement says. The NewsOne journalists added that in their opinion, Ukraine was among front-runners in the world  as the country with physical assaults against the journalists, obstruct their professional activity and where the law enforcement bodies, as well as the country leaders, namely the head of state are reluctant as to unlawful actions of extremists. On July 7, Russian presenter Dmitry Kiselev announced in the program “News of the week”that a joint teleconference “Need to talk” with the Ukrainian TV channel NewsOne belonging to the ally of Viktor Medvedchuk, Taras Kozak, was to be held on July 12. NewsOne has announced that it is launching a joint project with the Russian television channel “Russia 24” “Need to talk”, since they thought one should initiate discussion between “the peoples of the two countries, and not the politicians.” The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) initiates an urgent extraordinary meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), aiming to impose some sanctions to legal entities which are broadcasting under the logos “112 Ukraine” and NewsOne TV channels. The National Council on Television and Radio will hold an extraordinary meeting on July 9 due to announced TV link-up between NewsOne and Russia 24. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has called the announced TV link-up of Ukraine’s NewsOne TV channel and Russian state-owned channel Russia 24 a cheap but dangerous PR stunt ahead of the parliamentary elections. On July 8^th, NewsOne TV channel  has cancelled the TV linkup “Need to talk” with the Russian TV channel Rossiya-24 (VGTRK). On July 8^th, the General Prosecutor’s Office has instituted proceeding on attempted high treason, due to providing media support to the subversive activity against Ukraine that the NewsOne TV channel would commit by holding TV link-up “Need to Talk” with the Russian channel “Russia 24”. On July 8^th, the General Prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko claimed that one of beneficiary owner of the NewsOne TV channel is co-owner of Russian bank “Promsvyazbank”, through which the Kremlin is handling finance to the war against Ukraine. On July 8^th, in the front of the NewsOne editorial office in Kyiv, protesters gathered to claim there was inadmissible to hold TV link-up with Russian TV channel “Russia 24”.