Ukrainian Broadcaster Drops Oliver Stone’s Documentary After Threats to Staff & Grenade Attack

Corruption is Everywhere in Ukraine - Truth and free-speech be damned

Damage is seen on the facade of the building of Ukrainian 112 TV channel in Kiev, Ukraine. July 13, 2019.

© Reuters / Gleb Garanich

TV channel 112 Ukraine has canceled its planned broadcast of Oliver Stone’s documentary ‘Revealing Ukraine’ after its office was attacked with a grenade launcher, a protest was held outside and employees received threats.

On top of the attack, the channel says it’s been enduring censorship and threats ever since it announced plans to broadcast the documentary. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko lashed out at the channel, threatening it with prosecution should it air Stone’s film. The outlet’s editorial board was forced to recommend the broadcast be canceled.

“Taking into account these recommendations and the inability to fully protect the rights of journalists in the event of sanctions against the TV channel, the team of 112 Ukraine decided to cancel the film broadcast,” 112 Ukraine said on its website on Monday. 

The board said the decision was reached over increasing worries for the lives of the Channel’s journalists. It harshly criticized Ukraine’s authorities for their “extremely unsatisfactory” actions in defending the journalists and the fundamental right to freedom of speech in the country, warning it will ask international organizations for assistance if the situation does not change in the near future.

Earlier, 112 Ukraine had already pleaded with international press freedom watchdogs, the European Union and Ukraine’s law enforcement for protection, repeatedly claiming it had received threats from radical nationalists who oppose the сhannel’s editorial policy. Over the weekend, right-wing organizations staged a rally outside its headquarters, while some employees received personal messages with threats. On the night of July 13, the channel’s office was attacked by two unknown assailants with a grenade launcher. Nobody was hurt in the incident, although the blast caused damage inside the office. A criminal case was launched following the attack.

The film that has sparked the controversy is a documentary produced by Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone and directed by Ukrainian-American director Igor Lopatenok. It details the political crisis and armed conflict in Ukraine that broke out in 2014 and features an exclusive interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The film’s narrative doesn’t fit the one preferred by Kiev today and the decision to air the documentary faced harsh criticism.

‘Revealing Ukraine’ is to be shown in some 70 countries worldwide in the coming days.

But not in the country that needs to see it the most. The oligarchs are still in control.

Russian Elections Body Recommends Annulment of Far East Vote Over Violations

Corruption is Everywhere - Can You Imagine, in Russian Elections?!!

Russian Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova announces the preliminary results of the 

Single Voting Day © Vitaliy Belousov / Sputnik

Russia’s Central Elections Commission has advised to cancel the results of gubernatorial polls (3rd story on link) in Primorsky Krai Region and hold new voting in three months. Both frontrunners in the race are against the move.

On Wednesday all members of the commission unanimously voted to recommend the elections re-run in the region. The commission’s statement reads that in current situation and on the basis of protocols presented by regional elections authorities it is impossible to make any conclusions about the results of the voting.  

A rally in support of candidate Andrey Ishchenko in Vladivostok © Vitaly Ankov / Sputnik

In particular, the members of the body agreed that it is impossible to determine the exact result of the campaign because for some time during the elections day all documents and protocols of the voting were left unattended in the offices of the regional elections commission.

The head of the Central Elections Commission, Ella Pamfilova, has expressed hope that the regional authorities would support the recommendation and quickly organize the re-run.

The advice to hold the elections in the Primorsky Krai Region anew was made soon after the second round of gubernatorial polls almost ended in a draw. Only full vote count revealed that incumbent governor – Andrey Tarasenko of the parliamentary majority United Russia – apparently outpaced his main competitor – Andrey Ishchenko of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation – by a very narrow margin.

The communist candidate almost immediately accused his competitor of violations and announced that he was going on hunger strike which, however, lasted less than 24 hours. The incumbent governor replied with similar accusations in the Communists’ address, claiming that that monitors had registered violations in favor of the Communist candidate in at least two cities of the region.

Acting Governor of the Primorye Territory Andrei Tarasenko, right, congratulates a graduate at an event devoted

to the first graduation of officers of the Far Eastern Fire and Rescue Academy © Vitaliy Ankov / Sputnik

However, both candidates appear to be unhappy about the looming cancellation of the disputed vote. Tarasenko said in press comments that he did not plan to participate the re-run. Ishchenko described the advice as “absurd” and said that he did not agree with it because the governor had been elected in the runoff on Sunday.

Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that the Kremlin supported the recommendation of the Central Elections Commission to hold new elections in the Primorsky Krai Region. Peskov reminded that President Putin had previously described the fairness of elections as top priority and noted that this applied to all sorts of polls in the country.

Previously Peskov has told reporters that Andrey Tarasenko would remain in the governor’s seat until he is either confirmed or replaced by someone else on the post by a vote.

Primorsky Krai, RUS