Russian-speaking viewers can appreciate the satellite package that has appeared in the media space. It provides access to independent media and broadcasts in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
The initiator of the project is “Reporters Without Borders”, tells DW edition, the official launch of the Freedom package took place on March 5 at the European Parliament in Brussels.
At the initiative of the international human rights organization Reporters Without Borders, nine Russian-language television and radio channels are now broadcast via satellite throughout Europe, including Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, as well as the Middle East and North Africa.
As part of the “Freedom” package, they will broadcast their programs “Echo”, “Radio Sakharov”, “Current Time”, “Euroradio”, the Moldovan TV channel TV8, the Berlin television company “Ost/West 24”, combined channels with the participation of “Important Stories”, “Cold”, “Novaya Gazeta Europe”, Irina Shikhman and others.
A separate new channel is called “Belarus Tomorrow,” and another one is being created by the studio of Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon. It is announced that other journalists and media outlets will join the broadcast in the near future.
In addition, the creators are working on a separate news channel. Ultimately, the satellite package is planned to be expanded to 25 independent Russian-language television and radio channels. DW will also provide its content in Russian.
The Freedom package is free and unencrypted and can be viewed on Eutelsat’s Hotbird satellite at position 13E. Its potential audience is 4.5 million households in Russia and approximately 800 thousand in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. According to Reporters Without Borders, all of these households already watch TV from this satellite position and do not need additional equipment to watch the new channels. There are about 3.5 million of them on the territory of Ukraine, and hundreds of thousands in Belarus and Moldova, since this satellite position has been popular since the early 1990s. The creators are counting on good coverage throughout the entire post-Soviet space.
Jim Filippov, director of the Freedom Project, says the Hotbird 13G satellite is equipped with the latest technology that will prevent Russian or other authoritarian governments from jamming its signal:
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s not that easy given our anti-jamming capabilities.”
He told reporters about plans to expand Svoboda’s satellite broadcasts throughout the world, pointing out that interest in its content is growing. The goals of the project are to restore the smooth flow of information between Europe and Russia, free from military propaganda, and to support Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian civil society. Reporters Without Borders says:
“Freedom is designed to demonstrate that democracies can export independent journalism to overcome the logic of propaganda exported by dictatorships.”
And the organization’s general director, Christophe Deloire, said:
“In the context of limited digital space in the Russian Federation, the Freedom satellite package is evidence of our continued commitment to the right to access independent media and an attempt to strengthen the sustainability of the Russian journalistic community in exile.”
He argues that between 6% and 9% of Russian adults read, watch or listen to Russian independent media, and it is now important to expand their reach to preserve freedom of opinion.
The Freedom project is a non-profit, it was created on the basis of the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders, which allocates a budget for it, its representatives told a DW correspondent. This is about 3 million euros per year. The organization is also calling on donors to support the Freedom satellite package and hopes to secure additional funds, for example from the European Parliament. Until now, no EU funds have been invested in this project. “I don’t have money for you, but I have strong moral support,” Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourova said at the opening.
The official launch of the Freedom package took place on March 5 at the European Parliament in Brussels with the support of Estonian MEP Andrus Ansip and with the participation of Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jurova, originally from the Czech Republic. They remembered the times when their countries listened to “voices” from abroad to find out the truth about “what is happening just around the corner.” Yurova announced this project back in February 2023.
EU considers it necessary to support independent Russian journalists, help expand the scope of their activities and fill the gap in the Russian-language media market, “so that they can create more content and distribute it more widely “without interference in editorial policy,” the European Commissioner noted then. Before the opening ceremony, Yurova said:
“The Liberty satellite package is consistent with the European Commission’s commitments to media pluralism and freedom of information, and we encourage initiatives that contribute to the implementation of these principles.”
Technical parameters for receiving “Freedom”:
Satellite: Hotbird 13G at 13.0E
Transponder: tp 122
Frequency: 10949 MHz
Polarization: Vertical
Symbol rate: 27500 Ksim/s
FEC: 2/3
Modulation: DVB-S2/8PSK.
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