TV channel Rain (Lietus)

History

2023: Obtaining a broadcasting licence in the Netherlands

In January 2023, Dozhd received a broadcasting license in the Netherlands. The editors are moving their center to Amsterdam: the studio located there will become the main one for media employees.

2022

License revocation in Latvia

In December 2022, the Latvian authorities canceled the license to broadcast the Dozhd TV channel due to the words of the host Alexei Korostelev on the air, who called the Russian army "ours." The journalist was also banned from entering Latvia.

Dismissal of journalist Alexei Korostelev for calling on air to help mobilized Russia

In Latvia, the Dozhd TV channel (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent) was fined 10 thousand euros for showing a map with Crimea as part of Russia, as well as for calling the Russian army "ours" on the air.

Dozhd also fired journalist Alexei Korostelev, who announced on the air the need to help the mobilized Russians.

A few hours after the broadcast, the editor-in-chief of Dozhd, Tikhon Dzyadko (recognized as an individual foreign agent), apologized to the audience and said that the TV channel "did not engage, does not engage and will not engage in assistance with equipping the Russian army."

Because of Korostelev's statement against Dozhd, an administrative case was opened in Latvia, from where the TV channel broadcasts.

Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks demanded to expel the TV channel from Latvia back to Russia.

Transfer to foreign jurisdiction, broadcasting on YouTube

In July 2022, the Dozhd TV channel, recognized in Russia as a foreign agent, resumed broadcasting on YouTube in separate live broadcasts. The channel will return to the full on-air network in the fall, said CEO Natalya Sindeeva.

Now "Rain" is a completely foreign company with several branches in Europe. The media will not comply with Russian laws, including the law on foreign agents.

Obtaining a license in Latvia and starting broadcasting from Riga under the name Lietus

In June 2022, the National Council for Electronic Media (NEPLP) of Latvia issued a broadcasting license to Dozhd TV channel (the Russian Ministry of Justice entered it into the register of foreign media agents), council chairman Ivar Abolins told Leta.

"Rain" will appear in the list of channels registered in Latvia on June 9, it will be broadcast from Riga. According to Abolins, negotiations on this went on for about three months.

From the same day in Latvia, the broadcast of 80 Russian TV channels will be prohibited, the head of NEPLP said.

Later, the information on obtaining a European broadcasting license was confirmed by the editor-in-chief of Dozhd, Tikhon Dzyadko. "On June 9, we will not be able to start broadcasting, but this will happen soon when we are ready. We have many plans: we plan to broadcast from different studios - in Latvia, Holland, France and Georgia. Let's start small and gradually expand on the ether grid, "he wrote on Telegram.

Broadcasting was started under the name Lietus (Rain).

Recognition as a foreign agent and termination of work against the background of Russia's special operation in Ukraine

On March 3, 2022, against the background of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, the Dozhd TV channel was recognized as a foreign agent and announced a temporary cessation of work. Two days earlier, Roskomnadzor blocked access to its website. The editors promised to challenge the blocking.

The text of the court's decision, which was cited by TASS at the end of May, said that access to Dozhd was closed for "false information regarding the essence of a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, its forms, ways of conducting hostilities, quantitative human losses of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, shelling and casualties among civilians." The court considered that the channel's information "forms a panic mood in people, creates prerequisites for massive violations of public order and public safety."

2017: Blocking in Ukraine

Since February 13, the broadcasting of the Dozhd cable TV channel has been limited on the territory of Ukraine. The decision to stop the relay was made by the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting.

Ukrainian providers are forced to exclude the Dozhd cable TV channel from the packages, which is outlawed by the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting in the country.

2016: Net profit RUR 7.7 mln

At the end of 2016, the net profit of TV Channel Dozhd LLC amounted to 7.7 million rubles. In 2015, the channel's loss amounted to 75.4 million. At the end of 2016, Dozhd's revenue reached 414.7 million rubles, an increase of 13% in annual terms. The general director of the TV channel Natalya Sindeeva in an interview with Inc. said that the last two years "Rain" has paid off on its own. However, there is no talk of a return on investments yet.

According to the SPARK database, in 2012 and 2013 the Dozhd TV channel went into negative territory - a net loss of about 124 million and 114 million, respectively.

2013: Refusal to provide state subsidies

On March 1, 2013, it became known that the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications (Rospechat) refused to provide state subsidies to Dozhd TV channel in 2013. Izvestia writes about this. The list of recipients of state support was determined by the expert council on February 18, 2013, but the details were not known.

The TV channel applied Russia for financing four programs: "Ecology," "for everyone," "Poems about the Great Patriotic War" and "Books." The reasons for the refusal to finance were not specified, the channel said that the announced programs were suitable for topics that Rospechat called priority in 2013. Among them are patriotic and environmental education, propaganda of family education, prevention of drug addiction.

2011 and 2012

Grants for social advertising from Rospechat

Dozhd TV channel received grants from Rospechat in 2011 and 2012 for social advertising "Everyone is different. All equal "and the transmission of" The Book. " In 2012, the production of these projects cost Rain 3.3 million rubles.

Abyzov and Bosov sponsor the channel

One of the sponsors of the Dozhd TV channel at that time was Mikhail Abyzov. In December 2011, Abyzov led potential sponsors to Sindeeva. One of the sponsors was Dmitry Borisovich Bosov.

2009: The connection between the launch of the Dozhd TV channel and the allocation of state support by A. Kudrin in the amount of 135 billion rubles to KIT Finance

In December 2013, Sergei Neverov, Vice Speaker of the State Duma, Secretary of the General Council of United Russia, saw a connection between the launch of the Dozhd TV channel and the allocation of "unprecedented state support in the amount of 135 billion rubles to KIT Finance." In September 2008, Vinokurov's commercial structure was on the verge of bankruptcy. Then the Ministry of Finance, which was also headed by Alexei Kudrin, decided to save the bank, allocating 135 billion rubles to it.

In December 2013, Sergei Neverov sent a request to the Central Bank to find out for what purposes this money was spent and how the bank reported on it.

In its response to Neverov, the Bank of Russia painted out of 135 billion rubles only 118 with a small billion rubles. The Central Bank did not give information about the current state of affairs, referring to the law on bank secrecy.

Reorganization of KIT Finance Bank ^[1] as the most expensive in the history of the Russian banking system. At the end of 2008, Alexander Vinokurov left KIT Finance. And, as Neverov said on Echo of Moscow, the Dozhd TV channel immediately appears. The co-owners of the TV channel are the spouses Alexander Vinokurov and Natalya Sindeeva.

The document of the Central Bank directly states that it was Alexei Kudrin, at that time the Minister of Finance, who recommended that the Bank of Russia prevent the bankruptcy of KIT Finance.

In accordance with the plan, the agency, at the expense of the Bank of Russia, provided in July 2009 a loan to Russian Railways of 22 billion rubles (for five years at 6.5% per annum). Russian Railways, in turn, sent KIT Finance Bank first 10 billion rubles in the form of a subordinated loan, and then another 12 billion "for the implementation of financial recovery measures." The Central Bank notes that Russian Railways paid off 12 billion in accordance with the schedule, but it is planned to pay 10 billion only in July 2014.

In addition, according to the same plan for the recovery of the credit institution, the state represented by the Deposit Insurance Agency, again, at the expense of the Bank of Russia, allocated KIT Finance a loan of 46 billion rubles for a period of three years at 6.5% per annum. The funds received were used to pay off debts to creditors.

Open sources say that at the time the bank goes bankrupt, its owner becomes a billionaire, and the state allocates huge amounts, in particular 46 billion rubles, to pay off the debt to KIT Finance creditors. It's interesting to see who these creditors were, "Neverov says.

According to him, in open sources, the fortune of the owner of the bank, Alexander Vinokurov, was estimated in 2007-2008 at $200 million from the sale of various assets. And Vinokurov's fortune as an ex-owner of the bank at the end of 2008 was estimated by Finance magazine at $1.3 billion. At the same time, as the vice-speaker of the State Duma emphasizes, the problems in the bank began just in 2008.

In addition, in the summer of 2009, the Deposit Insurance Agency allocated 50.28 billion rubles for the acquisition of 29.9% of ordinary shares of OJSC KIT Finance from KIT Finance.Rostelecom

Alexey Kudrin gave comments: About KIT Finance and Rain

1. The reason for assistance during the crisis was that KIT Finance and Svyaz-Bank during the peak of the crisis on the stock market in September 2008 had many obligations under repo transactions, and not providing assistance would lead to a "domino effect" in the Russian financial market. Decisions on the provision of such support were made at meetings with me as Deputy Prime Minister of the Government in charge of the financial and economic sphere, with the participation of the Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia and other responsible officials, and after that were agreed with the country's leadership^[2]

2. To receive support during the crisis, shareholders of problem banks had to sell their shares to new owners at a symbolic price. Vinokurov sold the stake he controlled, which made up about 90% of the bank's shares, for 100 (one hundred) rubles. The remaining 10% of the bank's shares were sold at the same symbolic price. Thus, Vinokurov was no longer a shareholder of KIT Finance when the bank was provided with assistance. On October 14, 2008, Vinokurov left the post of general director of the bank.

3. In 2009, the Central Bank of Russia through the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) provided two loans to Russian Railways (a new shareholder) totaling 22 billion rubles, which were used to support the bank. Of these loans, KIT Finance remained to return 10 billion rubles to 24.07.2014 according to the repayment schedule.

4. DIA in 2009 provided a loan to the bank in the amount of 46 billion rubles for three years. The loan was fully repaid as early as 2011.

5. Other support measures related to the redemption of part of the assets from the bank at a market price. At the expense of these funds and loans provided, KIT Finance repaid its obligations to creditors. Moreover, Vinokurov was not a creditor of the bank and could not receive funds aimed at its reorganization.

6. In October 2008, the State Duma supported the actions of the Government by adopting the Federal Law of N175 "On Additional Measures to Strengthen the Stability of the Banking System until December 31, 2014." DIA actions to support KIT Finance were carried out under this law.

7. The control bodies of the Central Bank of Russia and the DIA checked the progress of the reorganization of KIT Finance and revealed no violations.

8. In total, 19 banks took support measures to stabilize the situation in the financial markets. Information about this was constantly included in the relevant report of the Government, sent quarterly to the State Duma during the crisis.

In conclusion, I would like to express regret that the actions of the Government and the Central Bank to save the Russian banking system in the dramatic days of the crisis became the subject of disinformation and speculation on this topic by the Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia party Neverov at the moment when the discussion of his personal property issues began.

Notes