An intelligence assessment issued by the British Ministry of Defence regarding developments in the war in Ukraine reported today, Thursday, that residents of the Russian-controlled Donetsk region in Ukraine are now receiving local news broadcasts in Russian from one of Russia's major broadcasting agencies.

The daily assessment published on the platform "X" (formerly Twitter) indicated that on the fourth of September, the state-owned "All-Russia" television and radio company launched a franchise in Donetsk and began broadcasting in the internationally unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic.

The assessment noted that local news broadcasts are provided by the Russian channel "Russia TV 1" and that they present the Russian perspective on the war. This is part of broader efforts by Russia to assert its permanent control over the region.

The assessment pointed out that Russian-language television and radio stations based in Ukraine are currently available for free in areas annexed before 2014. Service providers across Ukraine have continued to offer content in Russian from local sources following the outbreak of the war.