MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. The Russian Union of Journalists is puzzled by Kiev’s plans to launch a worldwide Russian-language TV channel targeting people in Crimea and Donbass, the Union’s Secretary Timur Shafir told TASS on Tuesday.

"The decision to launch a worldwide Russian-language TV channel to win the hearts and minds of people in Crimea and Donbass is puzzling, given the restrictions against the Russian language in Ukraine," he commented. "The same goes for plans to launch a propaganda TV channel amid attempts to expose ‘Russian propaganda’," Shafir added.

According to him, Ukrainian tax payers should think about whether this plan is appropriate, particularly from the economic standpoint.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration earlier announced plans to launch a worldwide Russian-language TV channel in order to win the hearts and minds of Ukrainians living all around the world, including in Crimea and Donbass.