Members of the Supervisory Board of Suspilne Ukraine, led by Svitlana Ostapa, together with Mykola Chernotytskyi, Head of the Managing Board of Suspilne Ukraine, met with colleagues from Latvian Public Media (LSM), Latvia’s Public Electronic Mass Media Council (SEPLP), and the editorial teams of Latvian Radio and the LSM.lv portal. Discussions focused on the merger of Latvia’s public broadcasters, countering Russian disinformation, and media operations amid security threats.
In January 2025, Latvian Television (LTV), founded in 1954, and Latvian Radio (LR), operating since 1925, officially merged into a single legal entity, LSM. The Ukrainian delegation learned about the merger process and shared insights from its own experience.
“We were interested in learning how LSM is being established. We exchanged experience and insights from our work. We wanted to understand how Latvia’s public media counters Russian disinformation, particularly in regions bordering Russia. Our LSM colleagues were most interested in how best to prepare for a possible Russian attack. They value the Ukrainian people’s struggle for independence. During the meeting, Baiba Zūzena, head of Latvian Public Media, told us: ‘We want to strengthen our resilience. You are the best at this, and we are learning from you,’” said Svitlana Ostapa, Head of the Supervisory Board of Suspilne Ukraine.
Suspilne delegation with LSM leadership
Svitlana Ostapa also recalled the assistance Latvia has provided to Suspilne during the full-scale war.
“Latvia has supported Suspilne Ukraine on numerous occasions. For example, in 2022, it supplied generators that helped our regional branches get through a difficult wartime winter. We thanked our Latvian colleagues for their assistance and cooperation within the EBU,” she said.
Mykola Chernotytskyi, Head of the Managing Board of Suspilne Ukraine, said:
“Support from the Latvian government and the European Broadcasting Union helped Suspilne maintain uninterrupted broadcasting during power outages. We are grateful to our Latvian partners for this assistance and are ready to share our experience of operating during wartime to strengthen the resilience of public media together.”
The delegation included Svitlana Ostapa, Head of Suspilne’s Supervisory Board; Oleksandr Pavlichenko, Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board; Supervisory Board members Oleksandr Yarema, Halyna Tytysh, and Oleksandr Solontai; and Mykola Chernotytskyi, Head of the Managing Board of Suspilne Ukraine.
Suspilne`s delegation
Suspilne Ukraine is an independent media company with a strong presence across all platforms: the TV channels Pershyi, Suspilne Kultura, Suspilne Sport, and a national network of local channels; the radio stations Ukrainske Radio, Radio Promin, Radio Kultura, Radiotochka. Find only verified news on suspilne.media, as well as on our national and local digital platforms. We broadcast in minority languages, represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, develop the children’s platform Brobaks, and train media professionals through the Public Media Academy. Our Suspilne Mediateka platform offers unique video and audio archives dating from the 1920s to today. Defending freedom in Ukraine.
