Ukraine has launched an international television channel in an effort to counter what it considers propaganda broadcasts from neighboring Russia.
“Ukraine Today” launched on August 24 on a pan-European satellite in an effort to counter the Kremlin-backed television service “Russia Today,” commonly known as “RT.”
Like RT, Ukraine Today also broadcasts around the world via a 24-hour online stream. And like RT, Ukraine Today seeks to provide coverage of a perspective it considers to be lacking in the current news spectrum, especially in eastern Europe.
Unlike RT, which is funded primarily by the Russian government, Ukraine Today is operated by 1+1, the largest private media conglomerate in the country.
The channel makes no attempt to hide that it’s mission is to go head-to-head with RT, which controller Oleksandr Tkachenko charged with creating “a large-scale information war” by which RT broadcasts “lies and distortions” about the situation in Ukraine.
Radio Free Europe reported in August that Ukraine Today is planning to launch via satellite in the United States. Currently, RT is available on Dish Network and some national cable systems in the U.S.