SBU carried out a raid to suppress the distribution of special software, adding functionality of smart TV-sets, and thus allowing their users to watch Russian TV channels, which are currently banned to broadcast in Ukraine.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on its profile in the social network Facebook about its success in detecting and suppressing distribution of illegal content for Smart TVs. Today, the criminal proceedings have been undertaken under the article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of territorial supremacy and integrity of Ukraine).

“The detectives of the SBU Office in the Kharkiv Region established that the management of one of the multi-branch wholesale and retail chains, engaged in selling domestic electrical appliances, arranged installation of auxiliary software on smart TV-sets”, as the report states. “For an additional fee, customers were offered to “cross-flash” TV-sets to get an option of free watching Russian TV channels banned by the National Broadcasting Council”.

For this “cross-flashing”, the criminal scheme organizers charged users some UAH 1900. The SBU statement also specifies that the developers of this software, providing access to the forbidden channels, are Ukrainian programmers. At the same time, the hosting was the responsibility of one of the largest providers in Ukraine. SBU does not reveal names of these companies.

“The law enforcement officials conducted a number of searches in the trading chain outlets in Kharkiv, and the places of residence of defendants in the case. They detected documentation that proved illegal software distribution”, as the SBU details.

Let us recall that in the autumn of last year, SBU detained an installer, who installed satellite equipment for receiving Russian TV channels.