KIEV, November 9. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman has ordered to tighten control over the law banning re-broadcasting of some Russian television programs in places of mass gatherings, the country’s National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council said on Wednesday.

"Ukraine’s Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman, with the aim to toughen measures against information threats, has issued an instruction to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, the head of Ukraine’s National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council, the Information Policy minister and heads of regional governments and the Kiev city government to take steps needed to inspect places of mass gatherings and recreation (hotels, recreation centers, entertaining facilities, etc.) in the context of cancelation of re-broadcasting of the Russian TV programs restricted within Ukraine," the council said, reminding that 76 Russian TV channels were banned in Ukraine.

In 2014 and 2015, analogous work was done to control implementation of the law.

History of the bans

In 2015, Ukraine’s Culture Ministry published a list of Russian and world culture figures who "pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security," with 83 names placed on it. Among those on the ‘blacklist’ are film directors Karen Shakhnazarov and Pavel Lungin; musicians Alexander Rozenbaum, Sergey Penkin, Nikolay Rastorguyev; actors Vasily Lanovoy, Valentin Gaft, Oleg Tabakov, Valentina Talyzina, Valentina Telichkina, Natalya Varley; singers Lev Leschenko, Iosif Kobzon; and many others. Kiev barred them from coming to the country while Ukrainian television channels were not allowed to air movies and programs featuring the blacklisted artists. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s State Film Agency banned airing of 430 films and TV series shot in Russia.

Since 2014, Ukraine outlawed re-broadcasting of Channel One, RTR-Planet, Rossiya 24, NTV-Mir, TVCI (TV Centr), Rossiya 1, NTV, TNT, St. Petersburg 5, Zvezda, Ren-TV, LifeNews, RT, RBC TV among others.

Later, the regulator banned nine more television channels, with A Child’s Smile, Psychology 21, Hunting and Fishing, the Russian Orthodox TV Company Soyuz, Amazing Life, Look TV, Mini Movie, Real Funny TV and Footschool TV. The Council’s head Yuri Artyomenko said that the channels were banned for broadcasting adverts not adapted to Ukrainian legislation norms. Afterwards, the Russian TV channel Nostalgia was prohibited for airing Soviet symbols as well as some other TV channels.

On September 29, the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council banned to re-broadcast three more Russian TV channels - Comedy TV, Our football and the Carousel children’s channel.

Besides, Ukraine’s National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council has regularly imposed restrictions on broadcasting of domestic channels, namely Inter, 112.Ukraine, ICTV and others, accusing them of violating law. Mainly, the accusations included either broadcasting of banned Russian films or criticism against the political regime in the country.