A broadcasting company based in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk has lost its license for having Russian-language programmes on air.
Nadezhda had almost 120,000 subscribers and carried a broadcast of dozens of foreign and domestic programs. Vadim Pogorzhelsky, Nadezhda’s head, said the Ukraininan national authority on media issues had refused to extend its license because management would not ban Russian programmes. The official body reportedly considers the broadcast of Russian programmes objectionable, as those are not adapted for the Ukrainian audience – namely not translated into Ukrainian. Russians make up over 48% of the Donetsk population. The Ukrainian administrative court has issued a resolution requiring all movies shown in the country to be dubbed.