Official position/function regarding the conflict

Rain is a private round-the-clock informational TV channel. It belongs to the media holding of the same name, the main owner of which is Natalya Sindeeva, who is also the founder and Director-General of Rain Television Company. The media holding also includes other liberal media outlets – Slon.ru and Republic. The general broadcasting policy is moderately independent. The TV channel covers in detail the complex domestic Russian topics, political and social protests in Russia, the activities of the opposition, gives the floor to the opposition democratic politicians and public figures, conducts investigations its own, and in detail covers partner journalistic investigations.

Nevertheless, TV Rain prefers to distance itself from the most pressing issues. For example, although the channel covered Euromaidan in detail, the annexation of Crimea, and the beginning of the seizure of eastern Ukraine, it subsequently distanced itself from this topic.

As a democratic media, the channel does not approve of Russia’s actions and does not support separatist regimes, but refrains from sharp statements and comments in connection with the conflict.

An important feature in the history of TV Rain is the ban on its broadcasting on the territory of Ukraine by the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting in 2017. Among the reasons were the violation of Ukrainian legislation in the field of commercial advertising, but it seems that the real reason was the trips of Rain reporters to Crimea unauthorized by the Ukrainian authorities, as well as the map of Russia with the image of Crimea in “Here and Now” broadcast. Sindeeva commented on the decision of the National Council as follows: “The TV channel is guided by Russian law when depicting a map of Russia. In accordance with Article 65 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Crimea is a subject of the Russian Federation.”

Nevertheless, as the only democratic television channel (albeit predominantly on the Internet), TV Rain cannot be disregarded when analyzing the Ukrainian-friendly Russian media market.

Actions regarding the conflict region

Neutral coverage of events in Donbas. TV Rain publishes journalistic investigations, for example, about the recruitment of Russian mercenaries. Another useful area is the analysis of fakes of state media in the broadcast “Fake News,” for example, a large investigation into the creation of the myth of the “crucified boy” in Sloviansk, etc. In general, it is necessary to note the benevolent and comprehensive coverage towards Ukraine. The channel details the course of the trial in the Netherlands for the MH17 disaster.