Official position/function regarding the conflict

Radio Liberty (hereinafter RL) is an international media holding (full name Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), broadcasting in 26 languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar. Funded by the U.S. Congress. The Russian Service of RL acts as an independent outlet guided only by the holding’s general mission in promoting democracy, is registered in Russia as an independent media outlet, and part of the editorial office is located in Moscow, which allows us to speak of it as a separate Russian media.

Broadcasting remained on medium waves, but most of the broadcasts are available on the Internet.

As an international media guided in its activities by the principles of neutrality and impartiality, RL journalists try to refrain from direct opinionated comments on the conflict, but the comments of the invited speakers are clearly pro-Ukrainian in nature.

Interests/goals in the conflict region

Providing objective, balanced, and verified information about the conflict and humanitarian situation along the contact line. The RL editors strive to provide an alternative point of view to the propaganda mainstream in Russia.

Actions regarding the conflict region

The Russian service of RL critically and independently covers the actions of the Russian authorities and the events related to the conflict in Donbas, devotes a lot of its airtime to discussing a peaceful settlement in the region. In 2014, the Moscow editorial office fired its longtime employee, Andrey Babitsky, for approving Russia’s actions in Crimea. Babitsky now lives in Donetsk and is part of the Russian propaganda system.

In 2015, the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty launched a special TV project “Donbas. Realities TV” reporting about “the life in uncontrolled territories, the supply of weapons, Russian military personnel, foreign mercenaries, corruption schemes in the grey area.”

In addition, in 2014, immediately after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia, the Ukrainian service launched Crimea.Realities – a separate information project with its own Internet broadcasting, and since 2015, medium-wave radio broadcasting, which can be received over most of the peninsula. It also covers events in the Donbas. Currently, the project runs three information websites: in Russian (Crimea.Realities), Ukrainian (Crimea.Realities), and Crimean Tatar (Qırım.Aqiqat).

The Russian service of the RL also broadcasts the programs entirely devoted to the events in Ukraine and Donbas: “Roads to Freedom” (hosted by Ukrainian political scientist Vitaly Portnikov), “Ukraine. 5 years later” and others. RL tells in detail about the military conflict, peace initiatives, humanitarian and social situation in the region, about the activities of Russian human rights defenders and activists in support of Ukraine.

A significant part of the air of the Russian service of the radio station is devoted to events in eastern Ukraine.

Also, given the crisis with objective information from Ukraine in 2016, Radio Liberty, together with the Voice of America radio, launched the Current Time TV channel, broadcasting its programs live on satellite TV and on the website.

In December 2017, Radio Liberty and its projects Crimes.Realities, Idel.Realities, Kavkaz.Realities, Siberia.Realities, Sever.Realities, Faktograph, Tatar-Bashkir Radio Service Svoboda (Azatliq Radiosi), the TV channel Current Time, as well as the limited liability company Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were included by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the list of media outlets “performing the functions of a foreign agent.”