A month after Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheny Murayev announced he was no longer the owner of the NewsOne television channel, he has launched a brand new one.
Called Nash — similarly to Murayev’s new political party, Nashi (Ours) — the new TV channel went on air on Nov. 7. It is run by a team of former NewsOne journalists under the leadership of NewsOne’s ex-general director Olena Rudyk and ex-chief editor Roksolana Zavinska.
For now, Nash works in a limited capacity, showing hourly news programs, brief interviews with the staffers, and tours around the future newsroom and broadcast studios, which are currently under construction.
Formerly of the 43-member Opposition Bloc parliamentary faction, Murayev joined the political party Za Zhittya (For Life) but left in September after a conflict with its leader, Vadym Rabinovych. He then started his own party, Nashi.
Recently, billboards for Nashi appeared on streets across Ukraine, causing some to suggest that Murayev will run for the Ukrainian presidency next year. Considering his chances of winning are not high, he is likely preparing for the parliamentary elections instead.
However, his billboards were at times vandalized, as some saw a parallel between the party’s name and Russian president Vladimir Putin’s youth movement, also called Nashi.
Under Murayev’s control, NewsOne extensively covered and promoted the agenda of Za Zhittya, widely regarded as a pro-Russian party. After Murayev left the party, his top position was taken by controversial politician Viktor Medvedchuk, a close associate of Putin who wants to restore peace with Russia. An investigation by Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty found that Medvedchuk controls the 112 Ukraine television channel through its new management. Za Zhittya leader Rabinovych hosts his own political shows on 112 Ukraine.
On Oct. 5, the Verkhovna Rada approved sanctions against the NewsOne and 112 Ukraine channels for their pro-Russian coverage. The next day, Murayev announced that a lawmaker from the Opposition Bloc, Taras Kozak, took over NewsOne.
