”Itʼs improper”. Shmyhal reacted to the petition about redirecting funds from the telethon to the Ukrainian Armed Forces

The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, responded to the petition with the demand to redirect the funds intended for the production of telethon "United news" and the TV channel "FreeDom" to finance the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is considered inappropriate.

Shmyhal noted that ensuring information security is part of the state policy in the field of national security and defense and a component of countering the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

"The redistribution of expenses specified in the petition by directing them to the needs of other components of the security and defense sector is not expedient," Shmyhal noted.

At the same time, the Prime Minister emphasized that the government is systematically working to attract financial, material, technical and other resources, including international aid, to meet the needs and increase the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The petition suggested redirecting the money intended for the production of telethons to finance drones and pickup trucks for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The authors of the petition noted that a large sum of money from the state budget is spent on the production of telethons, and they are also used for "political struggle" and thus "undermining democratic values." The petition received 29,562 votes.

• From February 26, 2022, after the large-scale invasion of Russia, a joint telethon "United News" was broadcasted on several national channels. It is criticized, in particular, for the fact that it gave hope for a quick victory. The marathon is called one of the forms of censorship. "Channel 5", "Pryamiy" and "Espreso TV", which are associated with Petro Poroshenko, were not invited to the marathon.
• As of the beginning of February 2024, 36% of Ukrainians trust the United News telethon, while 47% do not.
• On April 8, the Ministry of Culture granted telethon channels the status of critical importance for the economy. This status, in particular, gives the right to reservation from mobilization of a certain percentage of employees.