The decision follows the draconian “Fake News” law the Kremlin has enacted, making it a crime to report the truth about the war in Ukraine. But the husband and wife team behind the channel said they weren’t discouraged.
“You will face 15 years in prison if you call this war a war, if you quote President Zelenksy,” Kotrikadze said on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” on Sunday. “If you are reporting the truth, so we don’t have any options.”
Currently, TV Rain’s content is mainly found on its YouTube channel. Despite government efforts to control access to information, Dzyadko said that TV Rain’s livestreams are being watched by many Russians.
“People are asking for an alternative source of information so they don’t become dependent on this Russian propaganda machine,” Kotrikadze said.
CNN’s chief correspondent Brian Stelter questioned that rather than lack access to independent news in Russia, Russians lack the need to know what’s really going on in Ukraine.
Kotrikadze said claims by the Kremlin’s “dictatorship” that a majority of Russians support so-called “special operations” in Ukraine are “untrue.”
“I was amazed by the number of people who messaged us directly on social media and also commented on our various accounts,” said Kotrikadze.
Dzyadko said: “We have a great responsibility to the viewers who have supported us for more than 12 years of existence.
