The State Committee for Television and Radio-Broadcasting of Ukraine announced successes in the fight against propaganda literature imported from Russia. At the same time, on the committee’s website was posted that the number of post-Soviet literature importers had been decreased more than three times.
The website of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine reports that since 2016 books import from Russia to Ukraine is possible only on the basis of permissions. It banns import of books of anti-Ukrainian content, as well as printed products containing propaganda of the aggressor state. “Since coming into force of the appropriate law from the end of 2016, and, accordingly, the functioning of the permitting system, no book of anti-Ukrainian content has legally come into Ukraine. Despite judicial attacks and threats”, – the committee said.
Since the introduction of the licensing system in the area of books import from the aggressor state in Ukraine in 2017-2019 and the fourth quarter of 2020, Derzhkomteleradio of Ukraine has issued permits to import more than 31,000 printed products, including classics and children’s literature, world bestsellers. Most of the books permitted to be imported are Russian translations of foreign literature. Some of the permits were issued for the import of Ukrainian books published in Russia.
It is also reported that on the initiative of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions on 9 Russian publishing houses, which best of all distinguised themselves by publishing anti-Ukrainian literature. Thus, the numbers of printed products from the Russian Federation on the Ukrainian market was almost halved. During this period, 12,000 permits were either ceased by a decision of the National Security and Defense Council, or their validity was expired. Today, the total number of valid permits is 18,104. It is noted that a significant part of the received permits remain unrealized, and the declared number of editions planned for import in most cases exceeds the number of actually imported.
Permits, which provide for the importation into the customs territory of Ukraine of printed products including 59 Russian, 5 Ukrainian, 1 Moldovan and 1 Belarusian publishing houses, were obtained by 20 business entities. From October 1, 2020, only 6 importers resumed their activities after the spring-summer lockdown.
“A significant reduction in the number of importers did not affect the number of permits issued due to the fact that during the break in the licensing system in the I – III quarters of 2020, importers accumulated a large number of unrealized projects,” – the statement said.
Translated by Ilona Veretelnyk
