Exiled Russian journalists Ekaterina Kotrikadze and Tikhon Dzyadko continue their ongoing fight to tell their countrymen the truth about Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine by relaunching their independent news outlet TV Rain on YouTube.
The married pair spoke with CNN’s Brian Stelter on Sunday’s “Reliable Source,” telling him of the consequences of speaking out against Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“You now face 10 years in prison if you call this war what it is, a war…if you interview [Ukraine] President Zelenskyy or do anything like that,” Kotrikadze told Stelter.
Kotrikadze used to be on “Reliable Sources”In the early stages, Moscow invasion, she fled with her husband, Dzyadko, to Istanbul, and then to Tbilisi (Georgia), where they continue to report on the war via a A new YouTube channel has been launched This site has already attracted over 100,000 subscribers in just four days.
They say that they would like to reunite with TV Rain colleagues from Europe in the coming weeks.
“We are filling a huge demand from the viewers,” Kotrikadze said. “They’re asking for a source that is not dependent on this Russian propaganda machine.”
Dzyadko stated that Dzyadko and Dzyadko chose YouTube to continue their work since Russia has not blocked the site. The Kremlin has enforced strict censorship laws ever since the invasion to restrict the flow of information about it.
As a result of these laws, media companies such as Netflix and Spotify have suspended services. This is part of a global push by the international community to isolate Russia from cultural and financial resources. Media companies like CNN, BBC, and The New York Times have dramatically reduced their presence in Russia and concealed their lines to protect the few journalists still present.
“On last Tuesday when we had our first stream, it was very successful and a lot of people from Russia watched this stream as well,”Dzyadko added that TV Rain just uploaded a video. Russian Interview: A New InterviewWith Pres. Zelenskyy, which was recorded on Sunday.
You can watch a clip of Kotrikadze and Dzyadko’s appearance on “Reliable Sources”The top.