Kremlin-critical Russian channel TV Rain resumes broadcasts after a “forced interruption” in March

Russian television channel TV Rain, critical of the Kremlin, has resumed broadcasting this Monday after a “forced interruption of broadcasts” last March, a few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

“We have managed to preserve the equipment and fundamental principles. As in the past 12 years, we will report on events and phenomena without censorship and manipulation.”said the broadcaster in a statement to which the German agency DPA had access.

After being blocked by Russian authorities in early March, TV Rain has resumed operations from a studio in Riga, Latvia, after obtaining a transmission license from the European Union.

The return of broadcasts for Russian citizens, however, will only be accessible to people using virtual private networks (VPNs) that allow them to view TV Rain’s YouTube channel — which will rebroadcast gradually for now — the British broadcaster BBC has reported.

“Due to the repressive laws enacted in Russia, we were forced to leave and now work outside the country.”Tikhon Dziadko, the presenter of the Russian channel, said. Last March, the Kremlin adopted a law criminalizing the broadcasting of “false information” about the Russian Army, including the naming of the invasion of Ukraine as a war.

This law caused an exodus of major independent media outlets in Russia, whether domestic or foreign, as it put the integrity of journalists at risk, as they could face prison sentences of up to 15 years for allegedly misinforming.