We have taken note of inaccurate reports published by some media outlets in Kazakhstan, which some Russian resources have reprinted, about the alleged blocking of Russian television channels by the authorities of Kazakhstan. That fake information was intended to ratchet up tensions in the media environment.

On November 18, the Orda.kz online resource reported that broadcasting by the Russian television channel sputnik24.tv had been blocked in Kazakhstan, claiming that the channel was part of the Russian media holding RT.

Sputnik24 has no connection to the media holding. The fake report and the attempt to link an obscure resource to RT were promptly refuted by RT’s press service. It has written, verbatim: “Sputnik24 does not belong to RT. Don’t fall for fake news.”

Sputnik24 is a communication aggregator that offers content of several Russian television channels and an opportunity to get connected to satellite broadcasting. According to available information, Sputnik24.tv does not have rebroadcasting contracts with these channels. In June 2023, the Kazakhstani authorities in charge of online resources’ compliance with local laws sent a notification to Sputnik24.tv over rebroadcasting the content of television channels that have no registration in Kazakhstan. The warning was disregarded, and the resource was subsequently blocked.

The irresponsible and obviously unprofessional attempts to raise hue and cry over that issue are damaging the spirit of Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation in the sphere of television and radio content distribution. Those who plant such fake news stories are deliberately misinforming their audiences and are also trying to attract attention by reprinting fake news. The hype won’t last long, but these “sources” will lose their audiences for ever.