Zelenskyy urges EU to ban Russian TV channels; 'Biggest source of misinformation in world'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday, dubbed the Russian TV channels the biggest source of "misinformation" and called for a complete ban on their broadcast in the European Union. His critical remarks came on Wednesday when he was speaking at the 26th annual Forum 2000 Conference in Prague. He even called the media employees working in Russian channels "propagandists" and added they should not be allowed to stay on the European Union territory.

"Russian television, which is probably the biggest disinformation source in the world, is still available in European countries. And who are they working against, tell me. What exactly are they trying to destroy or at least discredit in the first place? European democracy!" he said at the virtual conference held on August 31. 

Further, he said that Europe needs full protection from Russian propaganda and reiterated that Russian State channels "must be banned" at the earliest. The Ukrainian President also appealed to the 27-nation bloc to close the entry of Russians into all 44 countries of Europe.

Also, he urged the Union to impose a blanket ban on VISA in order to be aware of "what their country has done against Kyiv". "Closing the European visa space for tourists from Russia will definitely protect all countries from the killers who were in Salisbury or Vrbětice," he added. 

Zelenskyy thanks the Czech Republic for its assistance

During the event, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the EU for supporting the already war-ravaged nation since the onset of the brutal war. According to him, the Czech Republic assisted Ukraine in the protection of freedom and called it "significant" for Kyiv. He underscored the personal involvement of Prime Minister Fiala and many representatives of the state who have assisted Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggressor.

"Ukraine did everything necessary to obtain the status of a candidate for membership of the European Union. I am grateful to the people of the Czech Republic, your government and parliament for supporting us on the European path," he noted.

Zelenskyy urges world leaders to invoke more sanctions 

While speaking about the sanctions, Zelenskky said that the world has already armed freedom in the battle against tyranny with powerful sanctions against Russia but noted the potential of the terrorist state has not yet been destroyed by these sanctions. Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning. On February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians.

Image: President of Ukraine/AP/Pixabay