1+1 Is Authorized to State...

Another scandal broke out in Ukraine quite recently, following Vadym Rabynovych’s speech in Germany at the presentation of German journalist Rott’s book which, among other things, traces the history of Ukraine’s popular 1+1 television. It further became known on February 8 that Borys Fuksman, one of 1+1’s investors, was barred entry to Ukraine. The channel’s leadership responded by a statement expressing concern over the government interference into media affairs. In particular, the statement reads, “Our television company has recently found itself faced with systematic actions like that by the SBU command” and that Fuksman’s ban on entry to Ukraine was preceded by a number of events. “Thus, over three months ago the then SBU Director Leonid Drach tried to use blackmail in a telephone conversation with Borys Fuksman, pressing him to edit out a number of materials in televised news items which, in his opinion, could damage his interests. We would like to stress that Mr. Fuksman, as a company investor, has never had any means of influencing the channel’s policy. Recently a number of actions obviously geared to discredit the television channel and its foreign partners have been carried out aided and abetted by Rabynovych. As the latter admits, when serving a term for gross embezzlement of public property, he was recruited by the secret police and cooperated with Andriy Derkach, son of the SBU ex-chief. We made public this connection, and we believe that this was the reason for banning Mr. Fuksman entry to Ukraine.”

1+1 representatives regard such acts by the SBU as an attempt to pressure the channel and restrict “the freedom of expression in the context of SBU being incapable of discharging its designated functions” and demand that the President of Ukraine immediately relive SBU Director Leonid Derkach of his post and that the military and security ministries and agencies stop pressuring the media.