Vesti Newspaper was attacked: Ukrainian media is actually Sandwich (бутерброд) between Pro-Russian and Pro-European Union powers
Dispatch News Desk (DND): Ever since the beginning of Ukrainian crisis in last November, Ukrainian media is under attack. Ukrainian media is actually Sandwich (бутерброд) between Pro-Russian and Pro-European Union powers. Recent attack on an important newspaper office “Vesti newspaper” (Вести газета) indicates that brutality against journalists are increasing after new pro-European Union government because Western Media is silent against these highhandedness against Media if such attacks come from Pro-European Union powers—like government in Kiev.
“After change of government in Kiev, all Russian TV channels were banned and many journalists prevented from entering the country – while those already inside faced kidnapping, arrest and deportation. Whosoever write and talk about civilians deaths in the hands of Kiev government, he is called traitor of Ukraine and a campaign start agains him/her and the institution who is publishing such news”, claimed some independent journalists from Kiev.
Three Russian journalists and one Italian were killed in alleged indiscriminate shelling of Kiev forces in eastern cities during the on-going “anti-terrorist operation.”
Some international organisations including the OSCE and Human Right Watch is raising the issue and criticising Ukrainian government for “dangerously interfering with press freedom” but western media is interestingly silent over these incidents.
It may may be mentioned that a crowd of around 50 masked men with stones and flares attacked and vandalized the office of Kiev’s Vesti newspaper on Saturday. The security guard was beaten as the mob shattered the windows and filled the building with tear gas.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry confirmed the incident that a large group of unidentified people wearing masks attacked the newspaper office on Saturday morning and started investigations and called this incident as an “act of hooliganism.”
Nightshift editor of Vesti, Grigory Grin said:
“At first I heard several shots, most probably from an automatic weapon. Then stones and Molotov cocktails flew into the windows on the ground and first floors. After that tear gas was blown into the building, which very quickly filled the whole office – it’s still difficult to breathe there. One of the security guards, who tried to oppose the bandits, was beaten. Apparently their task was to quickly ransack the office but attackers also tried to get inside the building”.
After attack the newly-elected mayor of Kiev Vitaly Klitschko was contacted by the newspaper who had a meeting with journalists, at which the matter of the security of press in Kiev was raised.
Vesti Newspaper said that it was not the first time that Vesti faced threats and violence. There was a criminal case fabricated against this paper during Maidan Euro. Paper has written an Open Letter to the President that says as:
“We consider it to be an act of terror and intimidation. Just a week ago an angry crowd, organized by Ukrainian MP Igor Lutsenko, picketed Vesti office. It is the last peaceful action against Vesti. Those who set to destroy us tomorrow won’t have any moral issues with destroying any other ‘vicious’ media or TV channel. Their purpose is to destroy all the media non grata.”
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Attack on Vesti Newspaper.
