Ukraine’s special communications and information protection agency  said it handed over the licensed broadcast frequencies of TV channels Espresso, Prymyi and 5 kanal from part to state-run  Rada TV following the decision of Ukraine’s state security council.

The controversial move of Ukrainian officials faced a backlash and subsequently led to a petition calling to bring the removed channels back on air.

The Ukrainian government take notice and came up with an excuse – state special communications agency head, Yuri Shygol said there was nothing wrong with it as after Russia’a invasion Rada TV became the pivot of all the Ukrainian TV programming running the national telemarathon.

Shygol said all the Ukrainian TV channels have been ‘granted the access’ to UARazom telemarathon while Espresso, Prymyi, and 5kanal can still carry on with  digital broadcasts or be engaged with the telemarathon.

‘To be part of it or not depends on decisions of the management of these TV channels,’ added the official.

The reasoning of state special communications agency got a scathing response from Espresso TV- it claimed the information is misleading, adding that the government is trying to ‘mix up the public and broadcasters about the real reasons of its arbitrary switch-off [decision]’.