India Issues Advisory to Channels Running Unverified News About Russian Military Op in Ukraine

Russia has begun the second phase of its special military operation aimed at the complete liberation of Donbass. Indian news channels have covered the conflict extensively, but the Indian government believes some of the content has been speculative and unverified.

Taking exception to media coverage of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday invoked laws regulating television content, which empowers the government to prohibit the transmission of any channel violating regulations.

“Channels have been making false claims and frequently misquoting International agencies/actors”, the government observed.

It also found that satellite TV channels have used “scandalous headlines/taglines” completely unrelated to the news item.

Citing a report aired on 19 April, the government criticised one channel for broadcasting an unverified claim alleging that “US agency [the] CIA believes that Russia will use Nuclear weapons on Ukraine”.

Anchors of many news channels “talk in hyperbole and make factually wrong comments even misquoting other sources”.

One channel aired fabricated pictures claiming to be the proof of an upcoming nuclear attack on Ukraine, the government said.

“This completely speculative news story seems to be intending to misguide the viewers and arouse psychological upheavals inside them”, the government report read.

The ministry has invoked various sections of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 that prohibits any channel from airing a programme that contains criticism of friendly countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics against Kiev's atrocities. Moscow said the second phase of the operation had begun after it achieved the goals of the first phase.