The National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) has banned the re-transmission of the Russian television channel RBK on the territory of Latvia, Diena informs.

NEPLP Chairman Ivars Āboliņš explained that the decision was made in relation to the violations posing a direct threat to national security and became effective immediately. The channel's re-transmission has already been prohibited in Latvia for a period of 3 years. Āboliņš said that NEPLP will continue to work and focus all of its resources to protect Latvia's information space.

As CEETV reported earlier, within a few days the Latvian viewers were denied access to a number of Russian propaganda channels as well as to channels that are directly / indirectly related to the EU sanctions. In connection with the events currently taking place in Ukraine, the PayTV platform Go3, the satellite television Home3 and the telecommunications operator Baltcom have all suspended the re-transmission of Russian channels.

TV3 Group's representative Kārlis Pozņakovs said that apart from the channels PBK Lietuva and PBK Estonia, NEPLP has also revoked the licenses of all other channels produced in Russia like Mir, CTC, Ohota & Rybalka,RTVi and TVCi. According to Poznakov, the companies will assess whether the co-operation with these channels does not represent a breach of the rules on financial sanctions against certain Russian citizens, companies and organizations. He also noted that the international news channels Euronews, BBC World News and Current Time will be available to each subscriber of both operators in the Baltic countries.

In addition to the channels banned by the Council - Belarus 24, Rossiya RTR, Rossiya 24, TVCi, PBK Estonia, PBK Lithuania has also suspended the Russian-registered channel BelRos, Mir, Mir 24, Kosmicheskiyand Kto yest kto, according to the company's spokesperson Ekaterina Ivanova. In order to provide its subscribers with the best news coverage of the current events in Ukraine and around the world, Baltcom will also include the channel Dožzhd in its offer. Other international news channels will also be available to the operator's subscribers.

NEPLP earlier decided to suspend the channel Belarus 24 in Latvia as well as to revoke PBK's licenses in Estonia and Lithuania. Both channels have been suspended before because during the inspection of Oleg Solodov, co-owner of Baltic Media Alliance, 'NEPLP had determined that such a decision should be made'. Āboliņš explained that he had also received information from the responsible services, whose nature he was unwilling to disclose. The licenses of these channels will be revoked on March 2 and, as Āboliņš explained, they will no longer be visible because they will simply cease to exist.

According to Kantar, PBK Estonia is the third most-watched TV channel in Latvia following two Latvian channels. Its audience share reached 5.8% in January, while PBK Lietuva is the second most watched Russian-language channel in Latvia with an average viewing share of 2.7% last month. Belarus 24 has been suspended because it is under the effective control of Ivan Eismont, a Belarusian citizen, who has been subject to EU sanctions. The decision came into force yesterday meaning that the channel must have already disappeared from the Latvian information space.

Tet has also decided to stop re-broadcasting TV channels on all of its TV platforms whose owners or officials are affiliated with the Russian government, are subject to international sanctions or whose status is currently not fully obtainable. The company has justified its decision by pointing to 'this difficult moment for the people of Ukraine and the entire European society, when Russia is deploying unimaginable aggression against Ukraine'.