From the editorial board: Below we print the full text of the article, which was published on the website of the Lviv portal “Vysokij Zamok”. It concerns the dictatorial impulses of Volodymyr Zelenski's crew, is simply a confirmation of what has been known for a long time.
Because the author and portal represent the option of the nationalist western It is besides an expression of a deficiency of assurance in the "pro-Russian" squad of erstwhile forces, the personification of which is Zelenski himself. This article should besides be read by all Polish speakers of “free and democratic” Ukraine, who tell us all day that Ukraine is fighting for “the value of the free world”. Let's read what it truly looks like:
"Inner war is becoming increasingly apparent in Ukraine – against unwanted journalists who, by virtue of their profession, are called up to monitor social processes, analyse them and critically measure those who are employed to run the country at the expense of taxpayers.
Such phenomena are highly dangerous: they shake the country from the inside, which weakens it, and that is helping the enemy. They besides distance us from the strategical goal of joining the European Community, where universal values and democracy are sacred. Arbitrary actions towards journalists and slowing the authorities' consequence to this give emergence to suspicion that “up” is curious in specified force on the media.
Recent events have shown that "attacks" on the press are becoming systematic. Their victim was the author of the anti-corruption program “Our Money” Yuri Nikolaov (he, among others, revealed interests in the Ministry of Defence, where eggs were bought for 17 hryvnia). A group of unknown people with threats and insults entered the flat of an investigative journalist, who was only a sick parent at the time. The video coverage of this action was published on the Telegram Card Office channel, which is linked to the President's Chancellery.
Another object of force was the members of the Bigus investigation team.Info, who besides had a series of high-profile material on corruption and abuse of power. For a long time they were illegally followed, video cameras and listening equipment were installed in their accommodation. As it later turned out, 3 twelve people worked on journalists, violating their privacy, secretly and illegally recording them for months. Cameras were even installed in the bedrooms...
In Yanukovych's time a popular tv presenter Vitali Portnikov He was followed and spy on. Later the same thing happened in Zelenski's time – at the beginning of the large war a well-known political scientist found listening equipment in his temporary flat in Lviv.
Unknown persons disrupted the professional activity of writer Mikhail Tkacz by taking distant his photographic equipment. The President's office refused to accredit the editor-in-chief of 1 of the leading online publications Yuri Butusova for the Zelenski press conference due to the fact that it asks uncomfortable questions. And erstwhile the typical of the Week Mirrors asked Zelensk a sharp question, the president answered her exceptionally arrogantly...
In the autumn of 2022, the journalists who were the first to study on Cherson's liberation were stripped of accreditation. due to the fact that we got to the liberated city sooner than the head of state...
There are besides another cases of inadequate relations between high-ranking officials and the media, who carry out their professional duties. Reporters of the "Schematy" program were threatened by the head of the state bank, who provided an open interview – on his orders the journalists were taken distant the video equipment, confiscated the recording and forcibly detained. What was the reaction? The perpetrator was fined in court in a symbolic amount. The workers at work greeted the bully with a loud ovation. The authorities entrusted him with another advanced position. And those who twisted their hands in the press were reinstated after release, must be compensated...
An example of violent force on the media is unmotivated exclusion from the national patriotic antenna, but opposition to the government's tv channels ‘Espresso’, ‘Canal 5’, ‘Primy‘. The canals which, before the invasion of Russia on a full scale, poured water on the enemy's mill and spread its narratives, inactive successfully exist.
Opposition politicians treat press force almost as prelude to autocracy, dictatorship. Aggressive behaviour towards the native media, physical threats against journalists were the subject of the publication of the leading British release "Financial Times". They came to the disappointing conclusion: "A series of attacks and campaigns of slander against well-known Ukrainian journalists cast a shadow on Volodymyr Zelenski's work to defend media freedom."
"The Ukrainian authorities should perceive to critical assessments aimed at them and do everything possible to prove that freedom of speech in Ukraine is not truly under threat," commented Shevchenko Vitali Portnikov Prize laureate. "The mistakes were made in the first stage, following Russia's invasion on a full scale erstwhile the telethon was created, and officials could decide which channels would participate in it. This turned into a clan-oligarchy agreement. That is why public broadcasting and broadcasting have been created, and that is why it exists at the expense of taxpayers to supply balanced and honest information. And the engagement of the oligarchical channels in public broadcasting and broadcasting poses a danger of distorting information. I fishy that this information is presented in a manner beneficial to the current government. And so it did, the media lost public confidence. In time, it will only grow and affect assurance in the state.
To me, listening to stories is nothing new. With specified a situation, with force on himself during government Viktor Yanukovych – erstwhile pickets were held under my house, organized with the support of Channel 112, which was associated with then Minister of Interior Zacharchenka and then with Medwedczuk. In my Kiev apartment, they were "plushky". And when, after a full-scale invasion, I came across it in Lviv, I immediately turned to the safety Service of Ukraine. I waited almost 2 years for the results of the investigation into where these spy devices came from in my Lviv apartment. For me, this is simply a sign that the current situation will not be decently investigated.
This indicates that we are in a "grey" zone. The state should make it clear who's doing this. The State must prove that the organisers of these shares are not state officials. And if they are, they should be fired. This should besides be due to the execution of the order given by the president to the Ukrainian safety Service on this matter. I'd besides like to make certain I wasn't overheard by Russian peculiar Forces. As a individual who is subject to Russian sanctions and is constantly referred to on Russian propaganda channels, I am full aware that installing a listening device in my home to look for hooks to compromise me can be implemented by the Russian Federation, not Ukraine. But I would like to know the truth. This besides applies to my colleagues. These are very simple and apparent requirements.
In war, trust in the state is the key to his survival. We talk a lot about victory, but in war, endurance is the most crucial thing. erstwhile we were under force in Yanukovych's time, my colleagues created the “Stop censorship!” movement. During this time there was talk of the danger of media pressure. Now is the time of war, the state has the right to limit the flow of information erstwhile it comes to national safety issues. And when, under the pretext of taking care of it, restrictions are applied to make life easier for the rulers, it is simply a blow to national security. due to the fact that in specified a situation, trust is destroyed, people's knowing of what they are fighting for and why they should last in the territory of specified a country. In this way it is doubtful that Ukraine itself can last and succeed. This is simply a common danger for all of us.
"We are dealing with highly worrying trends" comments the situation Ihor Reiterovich, Head of Political and Legal Programmes at the Ukrainian Centre for Social Development. "But it is not worth talking about authoritarianism and dictatorship at the moment. We don't have the results of the investigation yet. We don't know who was behind those wiretaps. However, the fact is that there is force on journalists."
What are the consequences? Our Western partners won't turn a blind eye to these things. Unwritten taboos of non-criticization of Ukraine were abolished for violating democratic standards during large-scale war. We see this in publications in Western media.
The authorities must draw conclusions. To prevent specified scandals in the future. And we should respond to the ones we already have. The president pointed out that detailed investigations had to be carried out and their results presented to the public quickly. For now, it seems that, apart from those detained in the Bigus case, we will receive no another information from law enforcement. Journalists will sooner find out who's behind it, what they've done, than that they'll get the right reaction from the law enforcement authorities.
The facts about the repression of journalists and all tv channels show that the authorities have not developed an adequate communication policy with the public. It inactive divides the media into comfortable and uncomfortable. This has been observed since 2019 erstwhile the head of state was Zelenski. Now the authorities are hiding behind the specificity of the martial law regime.
What is the threat of specified a shortsighted policy? On the 1 hand, this is truly an indirect suppression of freedom of speech, a deficiency of equal opportunities for all to receive and transmit these or another information. On the another hand, it forces power into its own cocoon, creating a parallel reality. Since the authorities will only receive information from loyal journalists, this will mean that they will not be aware of all the problems. Or he just doesn't want to know about them. This is simply a large threat to the future of the country."
Ivan Farion
photo of wikipedia
for: wz.lv.ua
