Ivan Mezyukho: ''Crimean citizens have no problems with access to Ukrainian TV channels''
Why has Kiev launched a test broadcasting of the Ukrainian TV in Crimea? An opinion of a Crimean political expert Ivan Mezyukho
Kiev has recently announced the beginning of broadcasting of five Ukrainian channels in Crimea. This news has been picked up by Russian media. However, a Crimean political expert Ivan Mezyukho in the newspaper column written specially for Realnoe Vremya surprised at the sensationalism of this act by Kiev. The columnist of our newspaper noted that the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol had had access to Ukrainian information resources before as well. The expert sees absolutely different reason for this message of Kiev from the statements of the Ukrainian colleagues.
Joyful report
The news of another so-called ''victory'' over Russian Crimea sounded last week in the media of Ukraine. It was reported that a test broadcasting of five Ukrainian TV channels in the north of Crimea started from the tower Chongar in the Kherson region. I must admit that in Ukraine in recent years with some circus solemn procession they have learned how to present even the most strange, insignificant or ridiculous news, somehow associated with Russia and Crimea in particular.
''It is a step towards de-occupation'', ''the breakthrough of Putin's propaganda'', ''peremoga'' — ardent supporters of the current political regime in Ukraine were typing these words in the social networks.
The source of corruption
Sane people in Ukraine and in Russia see the very existence of the broadcasting network in Chongar as a potential source of corruption of Ukrainian officials. Do the Crimeans really have a problem of access to Ukrainian television and radio channels? Many of the residents have access to the Internet, cable TV and satellite dish. Citizens of Crimea already have no problems with the access to Ukrainian TV channels. There is also no great demand for Ukrainian media. Crimeans have long been convinced of the falsity of the Ukrainian media in covering the events in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
Suspicions of Ukrainian officials in acts of corruption are even more real following statements by the representatives of the government of Crimea, made on the day of the announcement of transmitting the Ukrainian TV in the north of Crimea. In the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea they then declared that Kiev did not configure the broadcasting of the Ukrainian TV channels in Crimea… Then what was celebrated in the Ministry of information policy of Ukraine? Another fake ''peremoga''… (''victory'' in Ukrainian).
The lobby of former Crimeans
The information on the test broadcsting of five Ukrainian TV channels in the north of the Peninsula pushes to think more about the formed in Kiev lobby of ex-Crimeans went to Ukraine after the all-Crimean referendum in 2014. These people supported the Euromaidan, worked on grants of foreign states, headed pro-Western public institutions, were engaged in political, educational or commercial activities. I am talking about the small but active group of people.
By the way, the information about the launch of broadcasting Ukrainian TV channels was declared the former Crimean political scientist and publicist, now a member of the National Council of Ukraine for television and radio affairs Sergey Kostinsky. In general, former ''political Crimeans'' are involved everywhere: some of them work in the Verkhovna Rada and the Ukrainian government, some in educational institutions or the media, some of them are involved in the ''blockades'' of the Peninsula or are very active in community organizations with the Crimean direction. In general, they are all away from Crimea continue actively promoting by the theme of the Peninsula, earn not just political points, but, apparently, financial reward.
Offensive information policy
As I have already said, Crimeans got used to the fact that lies flow from the Ukrainian media. However, one shouldn't underestimate the risks of Ukrainian propaganda, which has become a little more tricky than it was some six years ago. But on the Peninsula, the work is already underway to counter the Ukrainian fakes. In early June of this year, Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Polonsky in the course of Alushta first international forum ''Open Crimea: through own eyes'' said the transition in the Republic from a defensive to an offensive information policy. I must say that the work in this direction is already underway. Crimean TV channels are broadcasting on the Internet and via satellites. Thus, Ukrainians can see the real truth about Crimea, not through the looking glass, given on the Peninsula by the Kiev media.
I believe that the representatives of civil society in the Republic should take the most active part in an offensive information policy on the Peninsula. Particularly social activists, public people, using modern means of communication, could bring their ''antifake'', i.e. true, not distorted information about life in Crimea in response to each fake information. It is important to tell about what is really happening in new regions of Russia, to operate the real statistics, which indicates a significant success of the Peninsula during the period of its being part of the Russian Federation.
By the way, the joyful report of Kiev officials about the launch of Ukrainian TV channels to the north of Crimea had a short media life. The news was substituted by the information about the creation of special troops for alcoholics in the national guard of Ukraine… ''Peremoga'', what else one can say here…