The Russian channel critical of the Kremlin TV Rain resumes its broadcasts after a “forced interruption” in March

July 19 () –

The Russian television channel TV Rain, critical of the Kremlin, has resumed its broadcast on Monday after a “forced interruption of broadcasts” last March, a few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

“We have managed to preserve the team and the fundamental principles. As in the last 12 years, we will report on events and phenomena without censorship or manipulation,” the station said in a statement to which the German agency DPA has had access.

After being blocked by Russian authorities in early March, TV Rain has resumed operations from a studio in Riga, Latvia, having obtained a broadcast license from the European Union.

The return of broadcasts for Russian citizens, however, will only be accessible to people who use virtual private networks (VPN) that allow them to watch TV Rain’s YouTube channel – which for now will be rebroadcast gradually -, The British network BBC has reported.

“Due to the repressive laws enacted in Russia, we were forced to leave and now we work outside the country,” said Tijon Dziadko, the Russian network presenter. The Kremlin last March adopted a law that makes it a crime to spread “false information” about the Russian military, including calling the invasion of Ukraine a war.

This law caused an exodus of the main independent media outlets in Russia, whether national or foreign, since it put the integrity of journalists at risk, as they could face sentences of up to 15 years in prison for allegedly misinforming.