OSCE confirms receiving letter from sanctioned Ukrainian media

Vienna:[Austria] The Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ), Teresa Ribeiro, received the letter in which sanctioned Ukrainian outlets ask for assistance in the resolution of the freedom of the press issue in Ukraine , Ribeiro's office.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian broadcaster Pershiy Nezalezhniy (The First Independent) stated that employees of banned Ukrainian media approached a number of international organizations and foreign ambassadors with a letter asking them to ensure the freedom of the press in Ukraine.

"I can confirm the reception of the letter of the Ukrainian media organizations and want to let you know that the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media always responds to letters after due assessment of the situation," the representative has said.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought into force the decision of the National Security and Defence Council to sanction three media groups, which own the brands 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, ZIK, Pershiy Nezalezhniy, and UkrLive TV channels. Nestor Shufrych, the owner of Pershiy Nezalezhniy and UkrLive TV channels, is an associate of the chairman of the political council of the party Opposition Platform - For Life, Viktor Medvedchuk.