Banning Viktor Medvedchuk’s media channels – 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, Zik – is the beginning of a new stage in the modern history of Ukraine. These channels were not legitimate democratic platforms that were simply expressing unacceptable views. In essence, they were key means of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine and other neighbors.
I have been consistently repeating that President Volodymyr Zelensky should not be underestimated despite the spiking criticism around his actions. However, by taking the risk of standing up to Medvedchuk, Zelensky surprised everyone who thought that he was incapable of making tough decisions. He dared to do what none of his predecessors had sufficient courage for. Zelensky’s anti-Russia decision means a lot to the country and reveals even more about his personality.
Media have the power to influence public opinion, and dictators such as Putin are extremely mindful of that. Some time ago in Georgia, Putin allocated $2 billion to billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili to run his election campaign. He bribed a lot of Georgian politicians and voters with this money and created his own media channels as well as bought some other ones.
Unfortunately, we in Georgia failed to react appropriately back then: we relied on democracy to sort it out. We made a grave mistake, but Zelensky has done the right thing. Banning those channels is a brave act of self-defense in response to unlawful and intrusive actions from a very powerful enemy. It is well-known that Putin had allocated one and a half billion dollars to Medvedchuk for his pro-Russia media hypnosis, and they were also planning to take over ICTV Holding.
The risks are as high as ever, and we need to be very careful about how we approach them.
We are currently dealing with a situation similar to a severe stage of cancer. Zelensky removed the tumor this week, but cancer has already become a part of the organism. Urgent chemotherapy is, therefore, needed which, among other things, also implies refraining from further restrictions. Only fast-paced reforms aimed at improving economic well-being in Ukraine can save the patient and unite Ukrainians around a shared purpose. This would also ensure the society feels represented and listened to.
Leveraging media to affect public opinion in Ukraine is more than a means of spreading the Kremlin’s ideological propaganda. These channels used to express the views of the south and east of Ukraine as well as a number of other regions, such as Transcarpathia and parts of Bukovina. If these people feel that their voice is not heard and that the cultural aspect is disregarded, they will get radicalized. Medvechuk-run channels were evoking nostalgia about the Soviet past while what Ukraine needs right now is the optimism about the freer and better future.
Therefore, although shutting down the channels was instrumental in fighting cancerous Russian propaganda, it is only the beginning of a long process of creating and sustaining civil society mechanisms in Ukraine. Now is the best time to reconsider our policy of regional representation and how we deal with local feudal kings, who will try to use this situation to their advantage. In particular, we should take into account Odesa and Kyiv – both falling prey to heads of local separatists. We need to hear regions and not just main cities.
The president is finally ready to take very decisive steps. However, he has found himself gridlocked: he can no longer control a part of his parliamentary faction and has to work with the weakest giver in recent decades.
But I’m confident that he can successfully navigate through all those challenges, and I wish him success at this difficult time. The war has already begun and we must fight until our very last breath. The failure would be the final nail on the coffin of the Ukrainian statehood. We don’t have any other options but to win.
Mikheil Saakashvili has been the chair of the executive committee of the National Reform Council since May 7, 2020. He served as governor of Odesa Oblast from May 30, 2015, to Nov. 9, 2016. He was president of Georgia from Jan. 25, 2004, to Nov. 17, 2013.
