Ukraine Today Pits Itself Against RT

A Ukrainian billionaire has launched his own news station aimed at countering Russia's RT. Ukraine Today (UT) went to air on Sunday, Ukraine's Independence Day.

It's no coincidence if the name rings familiar to viewers of Russia's English language news broadcaster RT, according to UT's chief producer, Tatiana Pushnova.

“Note the similarity in the name of the propaganda channel Russia Today and our Ukraine Today. I think the idea with the name is brilliant,” Pushnova said.

The station is now broadcasting news 24 hours a day, without advertisements. For now, the channel is broadcasting in English, but Russian language news is also in the works.

UT is owned by Ukrainian billionaire and media mogul Ihor Kolomoisky. The billionaire has become known for pouring cash into Ukraine's military and funding local militia groups aligned with Kiev.

Controversially, he has also offered a US$10,000 reward for captured Russian militants. Russian broadcaster RIA Novosti reported over the weekend that, “Russia's Investigative Committee accused Kolomoisky … of sponsoring a number of Ukrainian security groups and thus committing crimes against civilians in his country”. RIA Novosti is closely linked to RT.

However, Pushnova has stated UT will fill a void in Eastern Europe's media landscape.

“Russia's close neighbors … did not have a channel talking about them until now,” she stated on Sunday.

The channel's Facebook page states UT will primarily focus on Ukrainian “current affairs”.

However, the channel will have “additional editorial focuses including EU expansion and integration, Russian relations with Europe and America, the defense of European values in both Ukraine and within the EU itself, and the challenges of nation-building in the 21st century.”

We have launched! http://t.co/jweJfSL5cm

— UKRAINE TODAY (@uatodaytv) August 23, 2014