Latvian regulator revokes license of exiled Russian broadcaster TV Rain

The Chairman of Latvia’s broadcasting regulator, Ivars Abolins, has said that Latvia has revoked the license of Russia’s exiled television station "TV Rain" (Dozdh in Russian) on December 6 following concerns over threats to national security.

“In connection with the threat to the national security and public order, [the regulator] has made a decision this morning to annul the broadcast license of TV Rain”, Abolins explained in a Twitter post.

“The laws of Latvia must be respected by everyone”, he added.

The Russian TV channel, which relocated to Latvia earlier this year after being forced to abandon its offices in Moscow after having its broadcasting license revoked by the Kremlin because of its transparent coverage of the war in Ukraine, will cease to broadcast in Latvia starting from December 8.

As Caliber.Az reports, the move by the Latvian regulator comes amid an incident that took place during the live air of TV Rain. On December 1, news host Alexey Korostelev was promoting the channel's hotline through which Russians could receive legal advice on the military mobilization campaign and share stories with TV Rain on their experiences and report on abuse in the army which would later be aired on the channel.

During the reporting of this segment, he said: “Many of the stories sent to us or to the Telegram bot are now public. We hope that we can help many service members, for example, with equipment and basic amenities at the front”, referring to the vast number of stories coming from soldiers reporting that they are sent to Ukraine without proper training and equipment. Korostelev was fired from the channel a short time after the show, with two other hosts having left TV Rain in protest of his unfair treatment.

His comment has been interpreted by some that the broadcaster had been helping pro-Moscow troops taking part in the Ukraine war, with the Latvian state security service in a press release accusing the station of “providing assistance to the soldiers of Russia’s occupying forces”.

According to the Russian Meduza agency, Tikhon Dzyadko, TV Rain’s editor-in-chief, posted on Telegram in the early hours of December 2, apologizing to viewers and writing that Korostelev’s phrasing “gave viewers the sense that TV Rain is providing assistance to the Russian army.” Dzyadko emphasized that the network has never provided equipment to the Russian army and noted that the hotline was created to collect personal testimonies about the Russian army’s crimes in Ukraine and about violations of Russia’s mobilization laws.

Responding to the news of their license revoked, TV Rain said “The Latvian authorities have decided to revoke the license of the Dozhd TV channel. The TV channel will stop broadcasting on cable, but will remain on YouTube".