Banned YouTube project raises funds to operate until April
February 26, Pozirk. Obychnoe Utro, a Russian-language Belarusian show labeled “extremist group” in Belarus, has collected €25,186 in donations to finance salaries and studio rent in February and March, the team said on Telegram.
Obychnoe Utro launched the fundraiser in late January after US President Donald Trump suspended all foreign aid from Washington for 90 days.
The show, hosted by prominent Belarusian journalists Kanstancin Kavieryn and Maryna Mentusova, has 42,200 followers on YouTube.
Last year, the Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB) branded it an extremist group following an earlier extremist content designation, as authorities in Belarus equate criticism, advocacy, free media and free expression to extremism and terrorism.
Many Belarusian independent media outlets faced financial problems last year, including KYKY, Reform, Belsat, Plan B and ex-press.live. The Belarus Service of the Poland-based radiounet.fm stopped broadcasting over a lack of funding.
Trump suspends foreign aid, EU steps up to support independent journalism
February 3, Pozirk. The European Commission has announced an increase in aid for Belarusian and Russian media in exile, with additional funding of around €3 million. The EU seeks to ensure that "exiled independent journalists and media can continue producing …