Latvia has revoked the license of independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain. This escalates tensions between the Latvian public and the journalists who fled Russia after the Russian attack on Ukraine and have been broadcasting from Riga since July.
The cause of the conflict was a program about Russian mobilization. Moderator Alexei Korostelev called on viewers to send information about the soldiers’ inadequate supplies to the broadcaster, adding: “We hope that we can help many soldiers, for example with equipment or basic amenities at the front.” Korostelev has since been fired, and editor-in-chief Tikhon Dsjadko emphasized in writing and in a statement to viewers that the moderator’s statement was a “slip of the tongue” and that the broadcaster had never supported the war and never will.
The outrage was still huge. Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks wrote on Twitter that the broadcaster should move to Russia and threatened: “Our patience is at an end.” The Latvian secret service is investigating. Balts and Ukrainians list past misconduct on social media: that TV Rain did not show Crimea as Ukrainian territory on a map that was displayed, that there are no Latvian subtitles, that there was once talk of “our army” when it came to the Russian armed forces went. An interview with the mayor of Riga about the dismantling of a Soviet monument had already upset the Latvians in the summer. Now many see confirmation that TV Rain is imperialistic and dangerous.
The case exemplifies the dilemma of the Russian media in exile, among which TV Rain, TV Dozhd in Russian, is the most influential channel. How do they reach layers in Russia who are far removed from the opposition without glossing over the war guilt?
From December 8th, the station can only be received via YouTube and other social media channels. A fundraiser for TV Rain has begun.