The Verkhovna Rada supported the idea, agreed with the IMF, on the appointment of the Head of the board of Ukrgasbank, Kyrylo Shevchenko, to the post of Head of the National Bank of Ukraine. It is not Zelenskyy who nominated Shevchenko to the post of Head of the NBU, rather the IMF appointed him. There will be no independent leadership of the NBU in Ukraine.
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine, which is often claimed to be under external control from the US, NATO, the EU or IMF.
There is no evidence that the IMF chose the new head of the National Bank of Ukraine.
Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of International Monetary Fund stated previously: "It is in the interest of Ukraine to preserve the independence of the NBU and it is also a requirement under the current IMF-supported programme. I urged President Zelenskyy to stay the course of sound monetary and financial policies – those are key to stronger investment and inclusive growth."
On 15 July 2020, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted the candidacy of Kyrylo Shevchenko to the Verkhovna Rada. The next day 332 deputies voted for him. 47-year-old Shevchenko is a banker with previous experience in the field. For the last six years, he was head of the state bank Ukrgasbank.
The Radio and Television Broadcasting Commission of Lithuania has banned the broadcasting of 5 channels belonging to the RT network, due to European sanctions imposed on the Director-General of the “Russia Segodnya” media agency Dmitry Kiselyov.
Kiselyov is head of “Russia Segodnya” agency, the latter and the RT network are two different legal entities.
RT is run by its editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, who is not subject to any European sanctions.
A recurrent narrative claiming that the Baltic states act irrationally against RT.
Latvia and Lithuania have banned the state-owned Russian television channel RT, saying it is controlled by an individual, Dmitriy Kiselyov, who is under EU sanctions. According to the Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP), Latvia's national media watchdog, RT and the network of channels operated by it are under Kiselyov's "effective control".
The West doesn’t like a strong and firm Russia, which is not convenient for its interests. That’s why the Russophobia unleashed in face of the recent referendum on Constitutional amendments aims to discredit Russia in the eyes of the international community and to generate disconformity and internal breaches. Hegemonic mainstream media, some political institutes and NGOs used every mean at hand to express their rejection of Russia’s democratic procedure. They even tried to deter Russian voters from taking part in the voting.
No evidence given. International criticism of some aspects of the referendum on Constitutional amendments was not due to alleged “Russophobia” but to its problematic aspects, such as Article 79, which stipulates that “decisions of interstate bodies” shall not be “subject to enforcement in the Russian Federation” if they run counter to the Constitution. This means, for example, that Russia won’t feel obliged to comply with binding rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. Other elements, such as its definition of marriage as the union of man and woman, have been strongly criticised by LGBT activists and human rights defenders. One of the most controversial amendments, removing term limits for president Vladimir Putin to remain in power beyond his original mandate, was also condemned by Russian pro-democracy and opposition activists.
The European Union regretted that, in the run up to this vote, campaigning both for and against was not allowed, thereby denying voters access to balanced information.
The decision to ban television broadcasts of RT is an indication of the level of stupidity and ignorance of the Latvian authorities, who have been blinded by the Russophobia, indicating that the reason for the ban has no legal meaning.
A recurrent narrative against the Baltic states allegedly being Russophobic and acting irrationally against RT and Sputnik.
Latvia has banned the state-owned Russian television channel RT, saying it is controlled by an individual, Dmitriy Kiselyov, who is under EU sanctions. According to the Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP), Latvia's national media watchdog, RT and the network of channels operated by it are under Kiselyov's "effective control". Read full NEPLP's position here for details.
