Russia likely to launch new TV channel for C.I.S. soon

The Russian Federation intends to launch soon a new TV channel Zvezda, which will broadcast in the information area of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov has recently announced. He noted that the TV channel Zvezda is developing in order to be included in networks, including regional. Ivanov noted that the Defence Ministry "is trying not to spend money from the budget for development of the TV channel.” The objective of this channel is to promote „good, reasonable and patriotic actions,” Ivanov explained. Zvezda is a TV channel of patriotic education. The Russian government owns 51 percent of shares of this channel. It was founded last year at the initiative of Ivanov. Now the TV channel is broadcasted in Moscow in air and other cities of Russia in wire. Tens of Russian TV channels are rebroadcast on Moldova’s audiovisual market; most of them are wire channels. The Moscow authorities have said more than once that the Russian information expansion to former Soviet states is a priority of the Russian government.