French satellite company Eutelsat halted Russian broadcaster NTV Mir’s European broadcasts on Wednesday after regulators flagged content it had broadcast as comparing Ukrainians to Nazis.
Media regulator Arcom called for the Russian channel to be blocked for repeatedly portraying not only the leaders of Ukraine, but also the people of Ukraine as supporters of Nazi ideology.
Eutelsat has already shut down several Russian channels after requests from the European Union and individual countries dismayed at the spread of pro-Kremlin propaganda since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
NTV Mir’s parent company was sanctioned by the United States in May, the White House described it as state-owned and claimed its foreign advertising earnings were returned to the Kremlin.
The French regulator said on its website that the broadcaster “tends to repeatedly portray not only the Ukrainian leadership and army, but above all the Ukrainian population as adherents of the Nazi ideology of the Third Reich”.
Arcom cited an April 24 program that characterized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “a comedian playing Hitler who ordered a rocket fired at women and children.”
Eutelsat carries NTV Mir in Europe but, when asked by AFP, could not confirm which countries would be affected by the ban.
Arcom said it’s possible NTV Mir could still be picked up on other non-European satellites with more limited coverage on the continent.
Since the Russian invasion, Eutelsat has stopped broadcasting news channel RT in several countries, as well as two other Russian state channels, Russia 24 and RTR Planeta.
#Satellite #company #bans #Russias #NTV #Mir #Nazi #abuse #Ukraine
