Independent Russian television Dojd, exiled in Riga, Latvia, since the start of the war in Ukraine could lose its broadcasting license in this Baltic country following “repeated violationssaid the Latvian electronic media regulator on Friday.
The Dojd channel (“the rainin Russian) was fined 10,000 euros on Friday for distributing a map showing Crimea, annexed by Moscow, as part of Russia, the National Council for Electronic Media said.
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The regulator has also opened an investigation into a call by the channel for its viewers to provide “equipment to these Russians who are on the front“. In that call, according to the regulator, the channel expressed “the hope that we can help with basic equipment at the front“. The Latvian state security services also announced that they were carrying out an investigation into the channel.
“Given the crimes committed by the Russian occupation forces against Ukraine and its people, any material or financial assistance to the aggressor country is illegal and may involve criminal liability for financing war and terrorism“, according to the Latvian security services.
Dojd’s editor, Tikhon Dzyadko, assured that the channel was “notnot involved in providing any assistance to the Russian military“. The channel collects information on war crimes committed in Ukraine, he explained. According to Latvian law, TV channels can lose their license if they commit offenses three times in one year. This offense is the third charged against Dojd since the channel found refuge in the Latvian capital.