Russians to install 12 broadcasting complexes in Zaporizhzhia TOT to replace Ukrainian broadcasting

Photo by polskieradio.pl

The Russians plan to install 12 radio and television transmission centers in the Zaporizhzhia oblast TOT next year to expand the coverage area of ​​Russian television. At the same time, the occupation authorities continue to persecute and punish Ukrainians who continue to use Ukrainian equipment, calling it illegal.

This was reported by the propaganda channel Novy Melitopol on Telegram, which cited the Russia-installed governor of the Zaporizhzhia oblast TOT, Yevgeniy Balitsky.

According to the propagandists, the region is developing “cooperation” with the federal enterprise Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Networks (RTRS) as part of the “program for developing the broadcasting system of Zaporizhzhia oblast”, which “will allow to expand the coverage area of ​​the regional television.” The occupiers made the decision to install the transmission centers at a meeting with representatives of the Russian Presidential Administration and the Russian Ministry of Digital Communications.

Furthermore, the occupation authorities once again warned the residents of the TOT about persecution by “supervisory and law enforcement agencies” for “any illegal use of radio equipment, including civilian means of radio suppression and repeaters.”

At the same time, the installation of satellite equipment sets from Russkiy Mir LLC to replace Ukrainian ones continues in the Zaporizhzhia TOT. This is purportedly done for the benefit of people living in areas “with unstable digital broadcasting coverage and allows providing an even larger number of residents of the region with up-to-date and reliable information.” Currently, propagandists report, citing Balitsky, 112 occupied municipalities in Zaporizhzhia oblast are “outside the digital terrestrial television zone”, namely in Mykhailivka, Berdyansk, Kuybysheve (Bilmak), and Tokmak districts. These are to be supplied with equipment that will exclusively broadcast Russian propaganda.

As reported on the website of Russkiy Mir LLC, the displacement of the Ukrainian satellite complexes in the occupied territories and in Crimea began in December 2022. They call their operations the satellite broadcasting project Russkiy Mir, which ensures that “tens of thousands of citizens gain access to Russian television.”

The goal of the Russkiy Mir project is to provide free access to disinformation spread by Russian state television, including the 20 mandatory national TV, radio, and digital channels as well as regional TV channels from the occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, Crimea and Sevastopol. This large-scale propaganda project was launched by the All-Russian Popular Front, a movement for the promotion of Russia initiated by the current Russian Presiden Vladimir Putin in 2011.

In 2025, Russkiy Mir LLC will officially receive its first funding from the Russian federal budget. To support and develop Russian propaganda, namely through financing television and radio broadcasting, the company has been allocated a subsidy of 370 million rubles (over 150 million UAH. – Author), reports the Russian media resource Kabelshchik. The money is to be used to compensate Ukrainians in the TOT for free installations of satellite equipment that broadcast the 20 mandatory national TV, radio, and digital channels as well as regional propaganda resources in the TOT of Ukraine and entertainment content “created specifically for Russkiy Mir LLC users”. Currently, the Russkiy Mir website reports accepting applications for the installation of satellite equipment for all residents of the occupied parts of Ukraine.

According to the propaganda telegram channel YaZp, by the end of 2024, 34,800 sets of Russian satellite television had already been installed in the occupied part of the region. Also, according to occupation official Iryna Hekht, quoted by th propagandists, the occupiers dismantled 3,500 Ukrainian satellite dishes in 2024.