KIEV, September 2 (RAPSI) – Ukraine's media regulator reported on Tuesday that a probe has been launched against a local TV company which allegedly broadcasted banned Russian television channels.

The operation of a company that provided unlicensed broadcasting services in Dnepropetrovsk Region was suspended, its equipment seized, the statement of Ukrainian National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting reads.

The council has filed a request earlier to block 14 Russian channels from Ukrainian cable networks, including major news channels Channel One Worldwide Network, Rossiya 24, and Life News.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry defined suspension of the channels as as attack on freedom of speech and expression. The general director of Channel One Konstantin Ernst called on Ukrainian authorities to revoke the decision that conflicts with international law and public interests.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic expressed concern over the Ukrainian council’s request that the national operators stop broadcasting Russian television channels. She said that banning broadcasting without a legal basis is a form of censorship.