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Ukrainian TV channel 112 says presidential administration threatens closure

The channel "112 Ukraina" faced the increasing number of threats on closure after it surpassed the ratings of Ukraine’s "Channel 5" which belongs to President Petro Poroshenko

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko EPA/TOBIAS HASE

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

© EPA/TOBIAS HASE

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Ukraine FM suspends accreditation for Russian media

KIEV, March 19. /TASS/. The Ukrainian presidential administration is pressuring the National Radio and Television Broadcasting Council to close the Ukrainian TV channel "112", the council’s press service said on Thursday.

"The leadership and staff of the TV channel ‘112 Ukraina’ are concerned with the information about pressure on the National Radio and Television Broadcasting Council from the presidential administration with the demand to make another warning [to the channel], thus paving the way to its closure," the press service said.

The channel faced the increasing number of threats on closure after it surpassed the ratings of Ukraine’s "Channel 5" which belongs to President Petro Poroshenko.

TV channel "112 Ukraina" was established on the basis of five regional channels. Nationwide broadcasting was launched in 2013. There is no verified information on the channel’s owners. Some reports suggest that the blocking stake belongs to US channel "BuenaVisionTV". Other reports say the channel is owned by Cypriot offshores. There is also information that Ukraine’s former Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko is the owner of the channel.

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