Torching the channel: Supressing Freedom of Speech or Just Another Information War in Ukraine
It's already a week since the biggest Ukrainian TV station was set on fire by an "unknown" group of people and attacked by another group in military uniforms. Nearly 70 workers were at that moment in the building, 25 of them had to hide on the roof and were taken off by a rescue team. One damaged her spine while running, 5 suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, a few barely survived. Almost everyone experienced light shock. The approximate damage is estimated at $430,000.
Liuda, 22, who is originally from Western Ukraine, is known for her patriotic tendencies, and as a journalist of the international department, she was preparing a text about G20 summit when nearly 20 guys in military uniforms arrived to the front door of the channel bringing tires -- the symbol of the Revolution of Dignity that happened almost 3 years ago when Ukrainians were fighting with the then dictator-president using tires. These days, groups of far-right nationalists and provocators use tires for different purposes. Often, for Russian channels -- to discredit the revolutionary values and show a picture of a radical, violent Ukraine out of control of the government. The picture that often reminds military zone in the Ukrainian capital that announces movement to European values and demands access to the EU.
Both of us -- Liuda and me who'd just arrived for the evening shift -- didn't take it seriously first. In Ukraine, Inter channel is accused of having a pro-Kremlin position. This was what guys were writing on the walls. I filmed the guys for few seconds -- just for memories -- and called to my editor to say that the text was ready. Instead I heard a shout: "Close the windows and doors!" And she hung up the phone.
I thought the guys entered the building and I went to the corridor. It was full of smoke, two guys in respirators arrived from the stairs and shouted: "There is a fire here! Run away! Run!" Only late at night talking to the colleagues did I realize that those guys didn't have firefighters' uniforms. Those were the arsonists.
It took us a few seconds to grab our bags and run down the stairs. There I felt the biggest moment of panic: Guys in military uniforms were blocking the entrance while the building was full of smoke. I thought if the guys could ignite a building with people inside, they could also attack us physically. But that feeling lasted only a few seconds. They allowed us to go out. As well, later -- I think nearly in 15 minutes -- they allowed the firebugs to leave the channel that was already burning. This fact is fixed on the channel's cameras.
All the time I was filming the events on my telephone. The thick smoke from burning tires was rising in the sky. The military attackers were presenting a short performance: There was a girl with a bunch of flowers symbolizing Ukraine hugged by a guy wearing the dress of the Ukrainian heroes of the Middle Age - the Cossacks. I still don't understand the performance. In any case, it was never paid any attention in the media.
The Cossack guy himself paid attention to all the people around him, TV workers who survived and the police. While the fire was already raging out of the windows, he started walking around smiling and smoking a pipe. Searching his social media pages, one can guess he really thinks himself to be a patriotic hero fighting the Russian Empire.
At that moment the people from inside started breaking the front Windows and screaming: "There are people here! Let us out!" The military guys kept standing without reaction.
Despite Inter channel is accused in supporting Opposition Block -- the pro-Russian party of the ex-President known as a hugely corrupt dictator -- it also shares the lead position for its ratings and is fought for by different parties, politicians and oligarchs. Especially now when many believe snap parliamentary elections are close and the election of the President will be held in 2.5 years.
The investigation that currently takes place is never going to be transparent and objective, Ukrainian and foreign journalists believe. Here's why.
The same day when the arson happened, the interior minister, his advisors and a spokesperson made accusing speeches. The minister himself, Arsen Avakov, announced that the guys in military uniform had a peaceful protest against pro-Kremlin policy and named them as ATO veterans of the 30th brigade. The next day this brigade rejected any connection to the arson.
Six attackers were detained by the police and released the same day. The next day, they attacked another building of Inter channel where they also brought tires, but never made a fire.
One of the attackers -- the guy with the pipe mentioned earlier -- is known in the Internet where he posts about his nationalist views, homophobic position, belief in God and chauvinistic anti-female jokes. He belongs to the Brotherhood of Dmytro Korchynskyy well-known for earning money for raider attacks for many years. Korchynskyy used to give interviews where he recognized his connections to people in Kremlin and is personal friend of Avakov's advisor Illia Kiva. The guy with the pipe has a picture with Kiva during an anti-gay protest in the city of Kherson, bordering the annexed Crimea.
There is another curious aspect -- about media. My Facebook posts were the first in the Internet to tell about the fire. They attracted media to the event. The first picture of the then-peaceful protest was made at 4:29 and popsted at 5:29 pm. The fire itself was posted at 5:34. But an hour earlier I understood that Espreso TV, one of the lowest rated channels, was already covering the event: It is the channel sponsored by Avakov. I know this because I had been working there and two of my programs -- one of which was investigative -- were closed because of pressure and corruption. I was told there that Avakov was donating to the channel and so his schemes couldn't be revealed. This channel is also known to be a voice of freedom of speech in Europe and the U.S. who donated media grants to it as it started its work during the Revolution of Dignity and was the one of few channels to stream the events all over the world.
The channel is situated a 20 minute drive from Inter. It usually takes an ordinary channel at least 10-15 minutes to find a free journalist, a cameraman, equipment and a car to get to the event. That's why all other media arrived about an hour later. Espreso TV has a lack of everything: staff, cars, cameras etc. The only reason for their appearance at the event that hadn't been announced anywhere, was a coincidence. The group could have been filming something far from the center city and any regular conference places and returning back or headed to their next assignment when they decided to pass by Inter's office.
This was the channel whose crew became famous that day for taking a selfie with the arson at Inter in the background captioned: "There is a fire! First we make a selfie, then we go on air." And this was Espreso TV who brought their site editor to the event and went with him on air as if he was an expert on arson. In few days Espreso site shared the article about expert's credentials. He has improved his career.
Avakov is known to be a friend of the oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, whose other channel, 1+1, shares the leadership position with Inter and is its biggest competitor. This is the reason why this oligarch could have had a connection to the arson. At least, first I heard this from my faraway friend who has connections to the government. Later, my source from the intelligence forces told me that Kolomoisky people were proposing money to them for fighting Inter. At last there was a Facebook advertisement from ex-Kyiv mayor Lenoid Chernovetsky, who fled the country because of being corrupt and whose son is detained for the same accusations -- that Kolomoisky hired the firebugs.
At the same time, political experts and people connected to the parliament believe that the owners of the channel -- oligarch Dmytro Firtash, whose extradition is demanded by the U.S. for international corruption, and Serhii Lyovochkin, the ex-head of the Administration of Presidential dictator -- organized the crime by themselves. As they want to sell the channel. These rumors can be supported by the fact that the firebugs arrived in the building by a hidden corridor closed off by a light wall. First, they knew about the corridor, second they knew they could break the wall easily. Finally, it's not clear why my international department appeared to suffer most of all. But the rumors exist and have a right to be mentioned.
And let's not forget about the other powerful player whose ratings fell down and are even lower than those of Opposition Block and who accordingly is very interested in better media coverage. President Petro Poroshenko, the owner not only of the 5th channel, but one person who influences all other media. For a long time he has tried to buy the information leader, 112.Ukraine, that also appeared during the revolution. Recently, they became very loyal to the president. The workers of another young channel NewsOne, which is doing not so bad, are sure that the President is going to buy it, relying on internal rumors and the fact that the closest Presidential managers started visiting the channel. Recently there was the news that President was going to buy the half of the shares of Kolomoysky's channel which Kolomoysky rejected the next day. Anyway, he had a huge oligarchical war with the President just one year ago, but recently both have entered into a settlement.
This situation shows that the President wants to take as much power over the Ukrainian media market as possible. And of course he would be interested in at least partial control of Inter channel or not to let his enemy - Avakov - to control it.
Whoever is the real organizer of the arson, Interior Minister Avakov has already made several mistakes that show that a transparent investigation won't be held. The President won't push it either as is afraid to reveal other information that will show his pressure on freedom of speech. Oligarchs will still continue the information war that started after he revolution.
It may sound cruel, but if the firebugs were really fighting the pro-Kremlin propaganda, they wouldn't have lit Inter channel on fire, but would have gone after the person they accuse of being the pro-Kremlin top-manager – Ihor Shuvalov. Sadly, the recent example of the assassinated journalist Pavlo Sheremet shows that Ukraine still hasn't abandoned such intolerable practices.
