Russia television and radio

2020: Removal of applications of VGTRK from App Store in Ukraine upon the demand of the SSU

On September 11, 2020 VGTRK reported that it received the notification from Apple company that their applications "Russia 1", "Russia Television and Radio", Messages of FM and also Vesti.ru will be withdrawn from the App Store directory in the territory of Ukraine. The broadcasting company specified that programs will disappear from Apple shop because of the requirement of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU). The Russian State Duma called the events the act of censorship.

It is the obvious censorship, politically motivated, showing that the largest western IT companies, unfortunately, act as a certain servicing political force — the head of the State Duma Committee on Informational Policy, Information Technology and Communication Alexander Khinshtein said.

Apple deletes applications of VGTRK from App Store in Ukraine upon the demand of the SSU

The member of the committee of the State Duma on information policy, information technologies and communication Anton Gorelkin paid attention that, withdrawing applications of the Russian TV channels, the Apple company goes for accomplishment of frankly acceptable requirements while for the Kiev administration it only continuation of a vector of acceptable bans concerning Moscow. He reminded that in Ukraine several years relaying of the Russian TV channels, and not only state, but also commercial, extremely far from policy is prohibited.

The head of the Union of journalists of Russia Vladimir Solovyov, in turn, said that an incident became the next violation of freedom of speech. At the same time he was surprised that applications continued to work at the territory of Ukraine.

It is possible to regret for the next violation of freedom of speech only. But in this case it is surprising that they still there worked at that degree of difficult relationship between our countries when practically all media and resources in the territory of Ukraine were blocked — Solovyov in a conversation with RIA Novosti emphasized.[1]

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