The US judiciary has temporarily halted Donald Trump's cuts to Radio Liberty. But uncertainty remains high in the Prague office. DW spoke with some of the journalists involved.
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00:00Igor Shevrygin doesn't let his concerns show.
00:03He works for the Russian language service of Radio Liberty, an American international
00:08broadcaster that offers reliable information mainly to audiences in Eastern Europe and
00:13Asia.
00:14But news of the channel's potential shutdown has left Igor and his team stunned and Russian
00:19propagandists celebrating.
00:20This is a day to celebrate.
00:24Trump has suddenly announced the closure of Radio Liberty and Voice of America, which
00:27call themselves media, but are really just fountains of fake news.
00:36Russian propaganda is a bad joke.
00:38What did she call us?
00:42Fountains of fake news.
00:43It'll be fine.
00:45Just some commotion.
00:47Or we're hysterical.
00:48Could be.
00:49I just don't want to believe it's over.
00:57Igor Shevrygin has worked for Radio Liberty in the Czech capital Prague since 2017.
01:02His reporting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made Russia off-limits for him and his
01:07team.
01:08The station has been labeled an undesirable organization.
01:12President Trump's threat to shut it down came as a shock, but Igor does his best to stay
01:17composed.
01:18I hope to wear these shirts and jackets on air many more times.
01:27I believe our broadcasts are very important to our viewers and that Radio Liberty will
01:32absolutely continue.
01:34For me personally, there's no reason to panic.
01:37It's just a normal working day.
01:45In countries where press freedom is restricted, Radio Liberty has been a vital source of information
01:50since it was founded in 1953.
01:53Then the US-funded station broadcasts to audiences behind the Iron Curtain.
01:59Today its journalists report for listeners in authoritarian states like Iran, Afghanistan,
02:04Russia and Belarus.
02:08It's hard to imagine we'd be shut down, that these screens would go dark.
02:12We're in a very difficult situation.
02:15Our phones will soon run out.
02:19Pavel Butorin leads the current Time digital and TV network, which has become a key source
02:24of Russian-language reporting during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
02:30Despite censorship in Russia and the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the show draws several
02:35million viewers.
02:39Today we're reporting on the peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia and continuing our work on
02:44the ground in Ukraine, asking people what they think of the negotiations.
02:50Sergei, where are our reporters right now?
02:53In Pokrovsk.
02:56Many journalists work at great personal risk, including Pavel Butorin's wife, Alsu Kurmasheva.
03:03Her reporting for Radio Liberty led to months in a Russian prison.
03:07The team feared for her safety.
03:10Now the station's very existence hangs in the balance.
03:15I'm concerned about the future of my colleagues who only have passports from their home countries.
03:21They could be deported at any time.
03:25Many can't return to Russia or Belarus, for example.
03:29My own wife spent nearly ten months in prison on a trumped-up charge and was only released
03:34thanks to US government intervention.
03:38But many of her colleagues don't have that protection.
03:41I worry about what might happen to them.
03:47Like Pavel, Igor hopes the US judiciary will protect the station.
03:52The US Constitution prohibits government interference in journalistic work.
03:56The station is committed to remaining independent.
04:05If Radio Liberty were really shut down, our viewers would lose a reliable news source
04:10that, unlike Russian propaganda, offers independent information.
04:18Without a doubt, it would be a serious blow to freedom of expression.
04:27Shortly after our filming, a US court temporarily halted the closure of Radio Liberty.
04:32The legal battle continues and the broadcasters are not in the clear.
04:37Igor Sivrygin remains concerned for his job, his station, and the audience that relies
04:43on them.