Latvia bans broadcasting of TV channels linked to Putin's friend
Latvian National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) decided to stop the broadcast of nine TV channels in Latvia.
According to the state-owned Latvian Television TV channel, "Vremya: dalekoye i blizkoye", "Bobjor", "Dom Kino", "Dom Kino PREMIUM", ""Muzika Pervogo", "O!", "Poyekhali", "TELECAFE" and "Peterburg – 5 kanal" were included to the list of banned TV channels.
All the channels belong to a holding company whose beneficiary is Russian billionaire Yury Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk remains under EU sanctions for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
This ban will remain in force until Yury Kovalchuk is removed from the EU sanctions list," said NEPLP Deputy Chairman Ivars Āboliņš.
Kovalchuk is the owner of the Rossiya Bank, and he is believed to be "Vladimir Putin's personal banker" and his old friend. In the United States, Rossiya Bank is considered a personal bank of Russia's leadership.