Zelensky’s senior aid Mykhaylo Podolyak offers his judgment on the state media agency decision to pull the plug on broadcasts of three TV channels – 5 Kanal, Pryamyi, and Espresso.

Podolyak  shifted blame for the controversy to former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, arguing the country’s war-time information campaign was impacted by Poroshenko’s ‘narcissism’.

In his comments for LB Live, Podolyak said:

‘It is a matter of unified information policies of the country during the war. The channels were partially broadcasting a national telemaraphon, and partially [publicizing] the person who loves himself so much. .. This is a man, so self-loving, and indirect owner of the channels, and I don’t really understand why in the war-time  you  sell this self-love, your narratives in this form in the  [country’s] unified information package’.

Zelensky’s advisor, though, agreed with the journalist remark that the National telemaraphon  brought to the fore many ‘narcissistic’ pundits, yet, according to Podolyak, ‘damage caused by Petro Poroshenko is much bigger’.

It should be noted that the dust-up kicked off  in early April when the state media agency took off the air   5kanal, Prymyi, and Espreso TV channels, failing to give any notice of the move while the most of Ukrainian channels became part of a National telemaraphon broadcast.