Latvia licence withdrawal ‘unfair and absurd’: exiled Russian TV channel

Russian exiled independent TV channel Dozhd said Tuesday that accusations against it were “unfair and absurd” after Latvia, where the outlet is now based, revoked its broadcasting license.

“The TV channel will stop broadcasting on cable but will remain on YouTube. We continue to work and believe all accusations against us to be unfair and absurd,” Dozhd (Rain) said on Twitter.

Latvia revoked the network’s broadcasting licence Tuesday, after accusing Dozhd of showing the Crimea peninsula annexed from Ukraine as part of Russia, among other alleged violations.

The network is also accused of supporting Russian soldiers, which the channel denies.

“Some always think that there is a better place than home, that there is always more freedom than at home. This is one of the clearest examples that shows that these are wrong illusions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when questioned on the matter. 

After Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine, his government intensified a crackdown on critical voices.

Dozhd suspended operations in Russia in early March after authorities blocked its broadcasts, which contained critical coverage of the Ukraine conflict.

Like many Russian independent media, Dozhd chose to continue working in exile.

It settled in Latvia — a former Soviet republic that is now an EU and NATO member and mainly considers neighbouring Russia as a threat — and was back up and running by mid-July.