Ukraine’s Intelligentsia ACTUALLY Fears Russian TV’s "Mind and Soul-grabbing" Powers

While the reforms aren't being implemented, Putin isn't giving his consent and there are no weapons given, one can continue doing the thing they love. Professionally, in fact. Repressions. In Ukraine, and this is truly a big news, the new social movement called "Shut the Kremlin up" is gaining popularity. In Ukrainian, it sounds like "Zakriy Pelku Kremlyu." Pelka, pelka, that's how it sounds correctly when translated from Ukrainian slang, means mouth. But it's not about the Kremlin itself but about Ukrainian TV channels which, according to activists, those same civil activists, are working for it.

It's quite an interesting list, we'll show you. We'll tell you how and whose mouth they're planning to shut. But meanwhile, listen to an appeal, an official appeal, a speech, of those who will shut the "pelka".

 

Civil Campaign "Shut the Kremlin up" Mikhail Basarab, political scientist. "The enemy is attacking us not only in the occupied territories, the main weapon against us now is the Russian propaganda in Ukraine. The enemy is manipulating economic problems, using the corruptness of the power and causing unrest."

Andrei Yusov, political expert. "Moscow is trying to convince our people that we're an unable state. The Kremlin's media cause discord and depression in Ukraine, impose artificially created demagogs and populists. They're actively revitalizing the Regionalists band that hasn't been punished so far for an unknown reason."

Oleg Berezyuk, rights advocate. "We have our own scores with the authorities and the so-called elite. We perfectly understand when in how they're going to deceive us. But we won't allow the Kremlin propagandists to set us against each other and spread hatred to our country."

Sergey Pantyuk, writer. "It's time to stop the invasion of our minds and souls. There can be no discussion without concrete factual and moral borders. We need to fight the Russian information campaign against Ukraine."

Invasion of minds and souls.

Look, how curious, let us show the list of the demand. The last point is so funny. Look, "All the citizens of Ukraine..." Read it, please. “...must not watch, listen to or read the enemy's media which were specially created to set us and the state against each other, to confuse and scare each one of us."

Alexander Khishtein, National Guard of Russia Director's Advisor.

- It's pointless to analyze a set of demands, which are senseless and go beyond not only common sense but also the constitutional norm, because in Ukraine, as in Russia, censorship isn't allowed constitutionally. So, this all is beyond the law.

But I want to talk about something else, look how interesting it is. Our approaches are very different. Two worlds — two Shapiros, as they say. There's Ukraine where people with their own opinion are invited to some TV channels. And, as I've just heard from the respected expert and Ukraine's representative, it's because those channels let the people whose position is different from the Kiev's one speak that they're called the Kremlin's agents. These channels must suffer. The civil society has, as I understood, a fair and well-grounded initiative.

What should we do with Russia's state TV channels? What should we do with Channel 1? What should we do with the NTV Channel? Regularly, it invites the same set of Ukrainian citizens whose position is not just different from the official Russian position, they're welcome, we're for the dialog and discussion, but it's absolutely anti-Russian, I'm not afraid of this word, Russo-phobic and hostile towards our country, our state, and our history. They come with such statements and speeches. When I listen to them, I try to cope with my emotions and ask myself how those people, having left the TV studio, come to a store in our country and buy some bread. How can they even do it after all that, excuse me, nonsense they say? How can they… Well, I don't know where they go.

- It means that the compensatory norm is being implemented. That's all.

- About the bread. About the bread that costs 150 roubles.

- You know, if we discuss the fact that the Ukrainian channels are conducting an information war against Ukraine and must be shut down, what can we say about this team consisting of 10 activists that run from channel to channel and tell us about…

- It's a tent circus! A traveling one!

- It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad. We can politicize it in different ways. Call it a tent circus, Ward No. 6.

- What would we do without them?

- Wait a second, we don't have such experts in the studio. We have a political scientist respected in Ukraine. Vadim Trukhan. Vadim Trukhan, who's respected in Ukraine. He's just shaking his head, boiling over.

Vadim Trukhan: I thought we'd discuss something serious but you started accusing and being rude, and affronting people personally. It's just a perfect move when you have nothing to say. It's a perfect move.

- Bring us back, of course.

- The guys you showed aren't some outcasts. These are serious political scientists, I personally know Basarab, I know Yusov but less well.

- Is it a nickname?

- No, Basarab is a surname. They are very good political scientists, and the thing they started... I know this man, he's very clever, he's a well-educated political scientist and he's in demand. They didn't start this without a reason. Look, four years, almost four, three and something years have passed since the illegal annexation of Crimea and the beginning of the in the East of Ukraine, and people start asking how come ten thousand people were killed and 7% of our territory is occupied, and some Ukrainian citizens, being in Ukraine and speaking from Ukrainian channels, they deny the fact of aggression, they deny the simple and well-understood fact that Ukraine went through the Revolution of Dignity, and so on. But they don't say illegal things. They didn't say anything bad. It's a heartfelt cry. You know, when some processes are about to start in society, there're always people who initiate such campaigns. This is about the law, it's not prohibited by the law in our country. That's what's important.

- But it will be.

- It hasn't been prohibited yet, but Anton Gerashchenko has already proposed it.

- It won't lead to anything now.

- Will there be a law about shut mouths?

- They want to mobilize people to influence the channels. I used to come to News One, which I don't do anymore and don't even give comments because they're pro-Russian.

- "Ruso turisto".

- I almost made a slip in speaking. They're against Ukraine. That's just terrible. The channel is of high quality.

- You almost told the truth.

- They invested much in it. Seven out of ten they invite are usually against Ukraine. They work against Ukraine while being in Ukraine. I can imagine what would happen in Russia! If Russian citizens came here in 7 to 3 proportion and agitated against Russia. They'd go to prison right away. In Ukraine, they are free, they go to the restaurants and so on.

- I get it, wait, please. You aren't alone here.

- When I was on the plane, I read Ksenia Sobchak's blog. I had it with me. Even in Russia, you have Russian citizens…

- Yes, we do have them.

- Such high-ranking citizens, future presidential candidates, who say that Russian media is full of hatred, aggression, lies, and so on. The conclusion is that Russian citizens should also talk about this. You also have it on your TV channels. And we have it, too.

Alexander Khishtein:

- But we have a different relationship!

Vadim Trukhan:

- We'll take care of liars and haters.

Alexander Khishtein:

- We're trying to tell you that people that come to our channels have an open anti-Russian position, and in your country, if someone says that Anna Yaroslavovna wasn't a Ukrainian princess because there was no Ukraine, they immediately become against Ukraine.

- A conclusion can be drawn from here. Mr. Trukhan will explain everything in the Odessa way. This's a bill that is waiting for the Verkhovnaya Rada's approval. And the fine is 51170 hrivna, I don't know how much it is. But the most important thing is imprisonment for 3 to 5 years if one denies the fact of Russia's aggression. Just if you think so. Even 10%, 20%, even if you think that some people are hired and paid by the Kremlin, and so on. But the rest aren't hired and paid by the Kremlin. They really think so, and you want to put them in prison. That's the meaning. There're enough people who do this themselves.

Sergey Shargunov, writer:

- I'll speak if you allow me. This's all about the fact that your Revolution of Dignity took place under the slogans of expanding rights and freedoms. And it was also about expanding the freedom of speech. And now we see, and it's a catastrophe…

- There was nothing said about it.

- There were heartfelt cries, as you said, about it.

- There were, during the first Euromaidan.

- Friends, can I speak? I'm tired of being interrupted!

- Speak, please.

- It'll take just a minute to express myself. There were heartfelt cried about this. As you know, these outcries often come with the Nazi salutes. But the problem is that apart from these criers and those walking around with torches, there're a lot of so-called respected political scientists, politicians, and those who took the governance process in their hands. They are people who speak out on the channels that maintain some kind of a balance and proportion, and even an inclination towards the official Ukrainian authorities, but on which the undertone is possible, on which there're people that ask whether they need the war.

Do you remember that we had a red-and-blue country where the election took place peacefully? They get a strong kick. Such TV channels are either blocked by some bastards, and the state makes a helpless gesture, or an initiative to prohibit such media is brought up. Do you hear what they say? "A cursed and yet not punished Party of Regions clan." Millions of your voters voted for those people. Half of the country voted for them. In the end, you want to build in the center of Europe, in fact, such a furious fraction. With the same hand that you took the power with, you want to break your own country. But it's already been broken. Such channels, at least one of them, make opinion polls. And this is prohibited. They ask people, not the group of those with power, but people. "When did you live better?" I guess it was Inter who made such a poll. Listen, guys.

- It was News One.

- Right. It was News One. Yanukovich is better than current authorities.

Vadim Trukhan:

- Criminal Yanukovich?

Sergey Shargunov:

-Yanukovich. "Who's better, Yanukovich or current authorities?"

Vadim Trukhan:

- More than 90%. — 92%.

Sergey Shargunov: 92%, you're good in numbers. 92% say Yanukovich. Of course, the authorities lose their legitimacy in such conditions. How can you punish with a prison term for not recognizing the Revolution of Dignity if 92% of people say that they don't really need this revolution? It's an important point!

- Let him speak!

Sergey Shargunov: Can I speak?

Vadim Trukhan: It was unofficial and on a TV channel. There're no such figures when official polls are organized. No one wants to be without authorities.

Sergey Shargunov: Don't speak at the same time, first of all. We can suggest that it was some kind of a presentational selection, that these are the viewers of a specific TV channel. But any person, and Western observers agree with this, agree that Ukraine is split. Millions of people are unhappy. And now, in the condition of the most difficult economic and political situation, will you despise everyone? It's a rhetoric question.

I'll remind you that one of such channels broadcast live a sacred procession for peace, organized by the biggest church in Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. And as statistics showed, there was a record number of viewers at that moment, because the majority of people want peace, the majority of people understand that they can't ignore the South-East that doesn't agree with the Revolution of Dignity. But you over and over again impose not only just political but frankly anti-Russian decisions and laws. You suppress schools, the language. Who is the Kremlin agent for you? Everyone. I've already said this, not only official Russian TV channels, but also ultra-liberal Dozhd is banned, of course, almost all of the Russian writers, including Boris Akunin, even Mikhail Bulgakov. Even the filmization and Russian films are banned. These are also agents, moskals. This is the irony of the Ukrainian situation.

Vadim Trukhan: Why are you so worried about it? That's not your country! It's the country you don't like, the country you criticize. The country the people of which you consider your enemies.

- We like this country! We just don't really understand the Ukrainian authorities.

Vadim Trukhan: You shouldn't care about what we allow and what we ban.

Sergey Shargunov: Can I answer briefly?

Vadim Trukhan: Yes, you can. There's no split, don't try to create it. The split was created when Yanukovich was president. Political strategist, including those who come to this studio, created this topic to bring Yanukovich to power.

Sergey Shargunov: Does your question include a possibility to answer?

Vadim Trukhan: Now, the discussion is different.

Sergey Shargunov: Can I answer you briefly?

Vadim Trukhan: Whether these authorities fulfill what they promised on Maidan or not. The split is about this. There's no split in the South or in the West. I'm talking about love.

- How come you don't have a split if you want to imprison the dissentients? You don't have a split, really?

Sergey Shargunov: There's no way other than brotherhood between Russia and Ukraine. I sincerely suffer because of what's happening in Ukraine. Millions of Russian and Russian speaking people live there, our compatriots, people separated against their will. Millions of Ukrainians who hate this live there. These people are dear to us. And we see that you're trying to turn Ukraine, simply put, into an anti-Russian state and always remind us about this. I feel sorry for all of us in this situation.