Donetsk, Feb 4 - DAN. The official channels of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics on the YouTube video hosting were removed or blocked at the demand of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), DPR parliamentarian, chairman of the parliament Committee on Foreign Policy, International Relations, Information Policy and Information Technology Vladislav Berdichevsky told the Donetsk News Agency on Friday.

“I believe it’s a media space mop-up. They removed the channels at the NSDC request; clearly it’s a part of some strategy. They were taken down because of certain events that they must not highlight,” Berdichevsky said. “You might recall (Mikhail ) Saakashvili’s attack on Tskhinval; back then not a single channel reported on what was happening there; there was genocide there and the shelling of residential houses. I’m afraid it’s all coming to an offensive.”

Earlier reports on Friday said that the administration of the popular video hosting YouTube had blocked the official channels of the Donetsk People’s Republic Information Ministry and DPR People’s Militia. On top of that, the channel of the Lugansk Media Centre was removed and the accounts of the LPR State Television and Radio Company and the press service of the LPR People’s Militia were blocked. *jk