KIEV, October 2. /TASS/. Ukrainian authorities are pondering quotas for books and other printed produce in the Russian language, citing national security consideration, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Sych told foreign reporters Thursday.
“Quite obviously, in the future we’ll devise a mechanism of issuing quotas for printed products,” he said. “It’s important for us today to restore information security - the security of values, lifestyle, culture, and mentality,” Sych said.
As an instance of insecurity, he cited the data suggesting that 98% shows and serials aired in Ukraine are produced in Russia. The same concerned songs in Ukrainian, as 90 precent of them comes from Russia.
As much as 80% books and 80% printed media also come from Russian.
“I’m not saying that all of that produce is harmful but it forms a derogatory opinion about the Ukrainian state and culture and brings down the essence of feeling Ukrainian,” Sych said.
The really big share of information products in the Russian language draws Ukraine into the Russian lifestyle, while “We’re not interested in being a yet another Russia, we’re interested in being a different type of a country.”
“That’s normal reaction of any postcolonial state defending its self-identity,” Sych alleged. “We’re not going to reinvent the wheel. We’re using the experience of our Canadian and Italian friends who maintain their own mass media and books with the aid of quotas.”
“I think not a single democratic and civilized country will ever let the books and TV programs undermining its state foundations and the dignity of its citizens be proliferated across its territory,” he said answering a question from TASS.
Somewhat earlier, Ukrainian authorities banned relay broadcasting of fifteen Russian channels in the country’s cable networks.
The ban embraced the leading national Russian channels like Pervy, Rossiya 24, RTR Planet, NTV Mir, NTV, Rossiya 1, Petersburg 5, REN-TV, Zvezda, RBK-TV, RussiaToday, LifeNews, and Istoriya TVCI.