Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service cuts down on broadcasts, places staff on leave

Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service is scaling back its broadcasts and placing some staff on leave due to financial difficulties. The final episode of the morning programme, Svoboda.Ranok, was aired on 11 April.

Source: Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service

Quote: "Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service is reducing its broadcasting due to financial challenges. The last episode of the Svoboda.Ranok stream was aired on 11 April."

Details: The editorial office highlighted that the Svoboda.Ranok stream had been broadcast on Radio Liberty's YouTube channel and on the Espresso TV channel for over two years. According to Espresso, this project was one of the highest-rated on the channel's programme.

"We were among the first to report on the sinking of Russian warships in the Black Sea, the blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam, and [Wagner Private Military Company's financier Yevgeny] Prigozhin's march on Moscow. We shared the stories of those who turned to us for help and demanded answers from the authorities, such as the soldiers of the 155th Territorial Defence Brigade. We hosted leading speakers, government officials and lawmakers. Our audience also included viewers from the occupied territories seeking objective and honest information," said Anna Tokhmakhchi, managing editor of Svoboda.Ranok.

The editorial office will also be sending its staff in Kyiv and Lviv on leave from 14 April.

Quote from Mariana Drach, director of Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service: "This is a necessary step while Radio Liberty is fighting for the right to receive funding from the US Congress in American courts. Before that, on 1 April, a part of the staff in Prague from various language services went on partially paid leave."

Details: In addition, due to limited funds, Radio Liberty has also significantly reduced its cooperation with freelancers.

It is noted that in March, Radio Liberty suspended the podcasts Dialogues with Portnikov and Historical Freedom, which featured freelance authors Vitalii Portnikov and Dmytro Shurkhalo. Shortly after, historian Dmytro Shurkhalo applied to a Ukrainian recruitment centre and was drafted into the Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, the editorial office emphasises that Radio Liberty continues to cover events at the front, provide information to residents under occupation through the Crimea.Realities and Donbas.Realities projects, conduct investigative journalism through the Schemes project, and analyse events every weekday evening in the Freedom Live news and analysis programme.

Background:

• On 14 March, US President Donald Trump signed a decree to eliminate the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Voice of America (VOA).
• Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, noted that the EU does not have the ability to automatically take over funding for Radio Liberty but emphasised that the situation should be studied to determine how the EU can support the project.
• On 19 March, RFE/RL filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Washington against the Trump administration and Kari Lake over the decision to cut off funding for the organisation. The plaintiffs argue that such actions violate US law.
• Earlier, the EU, commenting on the decision of Trump’s administration to cut off funding for Radio Liberty and the actual cessation of broadcasting by Voice of America, said that this would play into the hands of common enemies.

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