Latvia revokes the license of TV Rain, a major independent Russian channel.

Latvia has revoked the broadcasting license of TV Rain, the largest independent television channel of Russia, after a correspondent's statement unscripted call for unspecified aid to Russian soldiers

The issue engulfed TV Rain in perhaps the greatest crisis of its turbulent 12-year history, with Latvian and Ukrainian commentators blaming the station for supporting Russia's war effort. Since making the comments, the reporter has lost his job and the National Security Agency has begun investigating the station on suspicion of aiding a sanctioned state.

The controversy began after Thursday's live newscast. , when correspondent Aleksey Korostelev, a well-known TV Rain host, asked viewers to send information about conscripted Russian soldiers to a hotline the channel had established months earlier to publicize irregularities in the mobilization effort.

"We hope we were able to help many soldiers, among others, with equipment or just basic amenities at the front," he said. added.

Reply was quick.

“When 'good Russians' help 'bad Russians' ' — can the world finally understand that they are all the same? ” wrote Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko.

The revocation of the station's license came after an investigation into Mr Korostelev's remarks. The media regulator said his comment was TV Rain's third violation of its rules, adding that he had received classified information about the channel's activities from the state security agency. /p>

The controversy exposes how Russian political exiles are struggling to find a role in their nation's unleashed conflict, especially in Eastern European states like Latvia , which were once controlled by Moscow. In these countries, support for Ukraine is partly driven by fear of Russian aggression and suspicion of their own Russian ethnic minorities, and takes place against a historical backdrop of hardships endured under the Soviet Union.