Latvia revokes license of Russia independent channel TV Rain

Latvia has revoked the broadcasting license of Russian independent channel "TV Rain/Dozhd," authorities said on Tuesday.

Ivars Abolins, chairman of the National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP), said the decision was made due to "a threat to public security and public order."

What else did Latvian authorities say?

"Assessing the violations as a whole, the NEPLP is convinced that TV Rain's leadership does not understand or is not aware of the severity of the violations," he said. "For this reason, it cannot operate in Latvian territory."

Latvian law states that TV channels can lose their license if they commit three violations within a year.

"I believe that this decision demonstrates that Latvia is open also for the Russian media because all Russian media who respect the law are welcome and may work in Latvia," Abolins was cited as saying by the Estonia-based Baltic News Service news agency. "Those who are not ready to follow the rules, cross the red lines, may not work here. The rules are fair."

TV Rain said that the channel would continue broadcasting over YouTube following the cancellation of its license. "We consider all the accusations against us unjust and absurd," the channel tweeted.

The Baltic News Service reported that the decision will come into effect on Thursday, when TV Rain's YouTube channel will also be blocked in Latvia.

What is TV Rain accused of?

TV Rain was blocked in Russia days after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine. Like other independent Russian news outlets, it was forced to cease operations due to critical coverage of Moscow's invasion, and it relocated to Riga. DW's Moscow Bureau also moved to Latvia.

In July, the channel announced that it would resume operations, after receiving a license to broadcast in Latvia.

A few days ago, Latvia's media watchdog handed TV Rain a €10,000 ($10,500) fine for showing a map that depicted Crimea as part of Russia and for referring to Moscow's troops as "our army."

The Russian-language broadcaster had also been fined by Riga for failing to translate its programs into Latvian. Latvian is the only official language in the Baltic country, where over a quarter of the population is made up of Russian speakers.

Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks called for staff of the channel's residence permits to be revoked after TV Rain presenter Aleksey Korostelev urged viewers to provide "equipment for those Russians who are on the frontline." The channel quickly sacked Korostelev and apologized for the statement.

How did war in Ukraine affect Latvia's position?

Latvian political analyst Filips Rajevskis said it was important to keep in mind Latvia's own history, and to take into account the emotional background in the Baltic countries about the war in Ukraine.

When it received a Latvian license and moved there, he said that TV Rain legally became a Latvian media company governed by local law. "The Latvian broadcaster cannot call the Russian army 'ours' and express sympathy to the invaders involved in the genocide of civilians," Rajevskis says.

According to the political analyst, the Latvian public sees historical parallels in the current experiences of the Ukrainian people with its own: "The Latvian nation experienced something similar in the past. This is 1940, when the Red Army occupied Latvia. And 1949, when Latvians were massively deported to Siberia."

However, Gunta Sloga, executive director of the Baltic Center for Media Excellence, told DW that the TV Rain situation also raised a broader question on freedom of expression in Latvia.

“TV Rain has made mistakes, but I am shocked at how easily the decision to revoke the license was made. When an authority can easily make a decision without first talking to the media, as in the case of TV Rain," Sloga said. "Tomorrow, it could be Latvian media."

Is TV Rain actually a tool against Putin, as it argues?

Russian political consultant Abbas Gallyamov told DW he thinks that TV Rain's focus on the conditions for mobilized troops is part of a bid to reach ordinary Russians who might sympathize with the situation the troops are in, and might eventually come to blame the Kremlin for it.

Gallyamov said Russia's opposition forces "will not be able to defeat the regime until [they win] a critical mass of swing voters."

The political consultant believes the channel's focus on soldiers and the conditions they're in is part of a strategy designed to resonate with such an audience back in Russia.

"Strategically, the TV Rain meets the interests of the Russian liberal movement, which wants the end of the Putin regime and the war in Ukraine," Gallyamov said.

Rajevskis, meanwhile, believes that the Latvian government understands the political importance of the alternative information that TV Rain offers to the Russian audience. However, he says that in Latvia there is also a firm belief that "the weakening of the Putin regime cannot be based on an empathetic attitude towards the army that is killing civilians in Ukraine."

With additional reporting from Maria Katamadze, DW Russian Service

sdi/aw (AP, AFP)