At midnight on 21 January, the Moscow Independent Broadcasting Corporation's (MNVK) TV-6 was taken off the air. This is the public execution of the journalist team which didn't listen to the orders from Kremlin and gave some objective information about Russian life and even some satire on Putin.
Journalists worked at the Fourth channel of TV as NTV, but in the spring of 2001 they were all fired and came to TV-6.
Putin states that this is just the struggle with "oligarchs" Vladimir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky. Government persecuted journalists not directly but through those oil-companies which are dependent on Kremlin (and all Russian busyness is dependent on Kremlin.) Some of these companies were minor actioneers of TV-6. TV-6 was closed althouth the law which permitted to do this had been abolished at the autumn of 2001.
Everyone in Russia understand the hypocrisy of Putin, but many
people enjoy this cynism as the only means to restore "order"
in Russia. Mind, that in Russia there are only 5 channels which
can be seen everywhere, and local or cable TV has no importance
at all. So extermination of TV-4 and TV-6 is actually extermination
of the only independent TV in Russia.
Most sad day! Actually, this is not the best day in Russian history: on this day St. metropolitan Filipp was killed on the order of Ivan the Terrible in 1564. In 1905 on this day the peacefup demonstration of workers under the leadership of father Georgiy Gapon was fired. On this day Saharov was arrested and send to Nozhny Novgorod. Now the chronicle will be supplemented with the information: "On this day the last free and liberal TV-channel was closed in Russia." It was done in most abrupt and rude manner, so typical for KGB. Well, at least I hope no one of my American friends will say now that Russian is a free country.
Oh, yes: January 22 is also the birthday of father Alexander Menn! So there is an etenal lite in this darkness!!
I've read the article of Vladimir Kovalev about TV-6 (http://www.tol.cz). Kovalev, I guess, is the same journalist who was mentioned as a correspondent of BBC in Russia. He doesn't deny that the case of TV-6 is a poliical one, that Putin lies and cheats, but he is against alarmistic views on Russian situation:
"However, by pulling the plug on TV-6, the authorities will not, as some claim, be able to pull the plug on free speech in Russia. Russians--and especially Muscovites--still have a number of sources for alternative news and media, albeit none as powerful as a television station that reached 51 percent of the population. The remaining television stations may be hesitant about pursuing controversial issues, but they do continue to serve as providers of information rather than mere purveyors of propaganda. Russian television will still carry a fair number of programs with a political focus. And at least the journalists from TV-6 are still moving freely and working for their cause."
I wonder whether in 1934 and even later some wise English, French and German journalist wrote the same about media and intellectuals in Germany. "Moving freely"--praise the Lord and Putin for this? Still breathing? Not arrested? Alive?.. I don't think such position can be very helpful in building free society in Russia.
When now I hear that still Russian TV gives some information, so we cannot say that the situation is VERY bad, I can only answer: under Communist, in 1970 or in 1985 the situation was absolutely the same. There was some information in media. But it was so mixed with propaganda, that it was much more simple and healthy just to listen to BBC or Radio Liberty.