YouTube removes channel of prominent Zelensky critic

(MENAFN) YouTube has deleted the channel of Diana Panchenko, a former Ukrainian Journalist of the Year and vocal critic of President Vladimir Zelensky, who had amassed over 2 million subscribers.

In 2023, Ukrainian authorities imposed personal sanctions on Panchenko and launched criminal investigations against her for allegedly spreading anti-Ukrainian content. She has openly condemned Zelensky for widespread corruption and his crackdown on free speech, as well as criticized Ukraine’s military actions in Donbass since 2014. Panchenko has accused Zelensky of leading the country into a “forever war.”

Irish journalist Chay Bowes highlighted the ban on Twitter (now X), calling Panchenko “one of the most famous women in Ukraine” and emphasizing the power of truth as a weapon. Though her channel is now deleted, archived records showed she had over 2.09 million subscribers as of last month.

YouTube, owned by Google, has cracked down heavily on Russian media channels and pro-Moscow accounts since the Ukraine conflict escalated. Panchenko has also been critical of Kiev’s suppression of alternative viewpoints. Following the 2022 conflict escalation, Zelensky shut down several opposition TV channels and merged major networks into the government-controlled United News TV Telemarathon.

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