RUSSIAN NEWS CONTRA-INDICATED TO CRIMEA, KIEV ARGUES

Ukrainian authorities have launched an attack on Russian-language television programmes in the Crimea, a peninsula which overwhelmingly speaks Russian - this news came from the Russian Movement of Ukraine. Ukrainian nationalists especially hate news releases. A group of “independent” Ukrainian officials headed by Nikita Poturayev, the deputy chairman of the Radio and Television National Council expressed dissatisfaction with use of “foreign languages” and retranslating “foreign programmes” by the local broadcasters. Surely, it is not Turkish, but notably Russian language, that is meant here. Programmes broadcast from Moscow seem to worry the National Council most. No wonder. For example, one can hear about an authorized theft of natural gas from a transit pine line. Also, you can hear a word in favour of Russian Black-Sea sailors. Mr. Poturayev told journalists that “retranslating information and political programmes of a foreign state was not permissible.” At the same time, they do not object to broadcasting the programme Wild Life coming from Russia.