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US Government Cuts Satellite Transmission for Radio Free Europe’s Russian Programming
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![Liubava Petriv]( "Liubava Petriv")
On April 3, Stephen Capus, CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), told AFP in an interview at the station’s Prague headquarters that the US government had switched off the satellite transmitting its Russian-language “Current Time” program into Russia.
The decision, made by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), has raised concerns, as the channel has been a vital source of independent news in Russia and surrounding regions.
RFE/RL, based in Prague, was founded during the Cold War with the mission of countering Soviet propaganda and has been funded by the US government since its inception. The satellite service disruption specifically affects the round-the-clock “Current Time” television broadcasting, which reaches viewers in Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and beyond.
“We came into work today and saw that satellite services that reach into Russia had been turned off by USAGM,” Capus explained.
RFE/RL had challenged the decision in court and secured a temporary restraining order. However, USAGM has not yet released funding to restore the service.
Capus shared that the radio’s Russian audience was now seeing a red TV screen with a message stating, “We regret to inform you that US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has decided to terminate the distribution of Current Time.”
The satellite shutdown affects RFE/RL’s ability to reach nearly 50 million people in countries with authoritarian regimes, such as Belarus, China, Iran, and Russia, where official state media control most narratives.
While Capus assured that the network would explore other means of reaching its Russian audience, he emphasized the importance of this broadcast.
“But… this wasn’t the Russian government taking such an action. This was ordered by the USAGM,” Capus added.
On March 31, Radio Svoboda published previously unseen footage from the mass shootings in Bucha, offering new evidence of Russian military involvement in the killings of civilians in the Ukrainian city.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Ivan Khomenko")
