Nordic Ukraine Forum condemns SVT for giving Russian ambassador prime-time platform

The Nordic Ukraine Forum condemned Swedish public broadcaster SVT for airing an interview with Russian Ambassador to Sweden, Sergey Belyaev, on its 30 Minutes program on Sept. 11. 

In a statement, the civic organization called the decision “unacceptable,” warning that giving prime-time visibility to a Kremlin envoy risks legitimizing “Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, genocide, and war crimes.”

“This is not merely a questionable editorial decision, it is a step that undermines the moral stance SVT has shown in relation to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and its hybrid aggression across Europe,” the statement said.

The group argued that even tough questioning from the host cannot prevent such an appearance from serving Moscow’s objectives: “Any exposure of a Russian official in Western media will be exploited to spread disinformation and manipulate public opinion.”

Calling the broadcast “an affront not only to the Ukrainian people but also the Swedish public,” the Forum said that “no truth or reason will come from the Kremlin spokesperson. This is not a problem of freedom of speech. This is legitimizing a criminal regime that openly declares plans to destroy independent states.”

Public broadcasters, the organization concluded, should never provide platforms that spread the tentacles of authoritarian regimes.