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The senior news anchor of Russia’s state-owned television network RT has resigned ‘on principle’ after the country’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Kevin Owen worked for RT – formerly known as Russia Today – for more than 15 years, having joined the channel in 2006.
He had previously worked in the UK in national and regional media, fronting nightly news broadcasts for both BBC Wales and HTV Wales.
He rose to become the main news anchor on the state-owned Russian news network, and was awarded the prize ‘News Anchor of the Year’ in 2008.
But he resigned from his post on Monday in light of the brutal war raging across Ukraine.
It comes after the UK’s culture secretary said RT will be booted off Sky television ‘shortly’.
Nadine Dorries said the move would mean ‘Putin’s polluting propaganda machine’ would be ‘severely restricted’ in Britain.

Kevin Owen (pictured) worked for RT – formerly known as Russia Today – for more than 15 years, having joined the channel in 2006
Mr Owen confirmed last night he was stepping down and paid tribute to his colleagues, telling Wales Online: ‘I resigned on principle.
‘I will very much miss the vast amount of very talented and kind colleagues and management who I had the pleasure of working with over many years.’
He added that he had told bosses he quit on Monday but refused to comment further.
The journalist moved to Moscow in the mid-2000s after working for the BBC, HTV and Sky following studying at Cardiff University in the 1980s.
His dramatic exit came on the day UK Culture Secretary Ms Dorries said RT would no longer be available on Sky.
She said the move would mean ‘Putin’s polluting propaganda machine’ would be ‘severely restricted’ in Britain.
She tweeted: ‘Shortly, the French satellite which broadcasts Russia Today in both the EU and UK will be switched off. This means RT will no longer be available via Sky.
‘Putin’s polluting propaganda machine will now have severely restricted access into British homes via our TV screens.’
Earlier video-sharing website YouTube blocked channels linked to RT and Sputnik across Europe, including the UK.
The Google-owned platform said the ban was effective immediately though it may take some time for the block to become fully effective.
The tech giant previously limited the ability for RT and other Russian channels to make money from adverts on videos but has extended its sanctions.
Google Europe said: ‘Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we’re blocking YouTube channels connected to RT and Sputnik across Europe, effective immediately.
‘It’ll take time for our systems to fully ramp up. Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock to take swift action.’
Facebook also blocked access to RT and Sputnik on its platform having previously also limited those channels’ ability to make advertising revenue.
The change means the pages of the organisations are not visible on Facebook or Instagram in the EU, but for now, they remain visible in the UK.
Former UK deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg, who is now vice president of global affairs at Meta, said the firm had been asked by governments to take further action.
He tweeted: ‘We have received requests from a number of Governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state-controlled media.
‘Given the exceptional nature of the current situation, we will be restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU at this time.’

Nikki Aaron, a presenter on the state-controlled TV channel, said Britons and Americans would be ‘waking up to sensational headlines’ about Russia’s decision to send troops into Ukraine – a move which has been widely condemned across the world


Ms Aaron also regurgitated Kremlin lines claiming civilians were safe, that Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine and that the invasion was a ‘military operation’ launched by Putin in the defence of separatist in the Donbass region.
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The EU has banned the channel, formerly known as Russia Today, but Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned a similar move in the UK was likely to lead to the BBC being banned in Russia

Last week Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries used a letter to Ofcom to accuse RT, previously known as Russia Today, of being ‘demonstrably part of Russia’s global disinformation campaign’
The UK’s media regulator Ofcom on Monday launched 15 investigations into the ‘due impartiality’ of state-backed Russian broadcaster RT.
The move, which increases the likelihood of RT losing its UK licence, relates to 15 editions of its hourly news show aired on Sunday.
The EU banned the channel but Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned a similar move in the UK was likely to lead to the BBC being banned in Russia.
She added: ‘We want the Russian population to hear the truth about what Putin is doing.’
Ofcom revealed it had ‘observed a significant increase’ in the number of shows on the broadcaster that ‘warrant investigation under our Broadcasting Code’.
It is understood the probes mainly centre on reporting from correspondents on the ground – in places like the Donbas region of Ukraine – rather than the studio.
RT, which has a number of British presenters and reporters, has reportedly referred to the invasion of Ukraine as a ‘special military operation’.
Ofcom said it was expecting ‘full-cooperation from RT’, adding the investigations will be ‘expedited’ given the ‘severity and urgency of the current crisis’.
On Sunday, Boris Johnson said the channel had been ‘peddling’ content that was ‘doing a lot of damage to the truth’, and called for Ofcom to look at whether it was ‘infringing the rules of this country’.
Last week Culture Secretary Ms Dorries used a letter to Ofcom to accuse RT of being ‘demonstrably part of Russia’s global disinformation campaign’.
But on Monday Miss Truss admitted any move to ban the channel here could lead to retaliation against UK broadcasters like the BBC.
She told Parliament: ‘We are looking at what can be done on RT but the reality is that if we ban RT in the United Kingdom, that is likely to lead to channels like the BBC being banned in Russia.’
The Foreign Secretary added: ‘And what we want is we want the Russian population to hear the truth about what Vladimir Putin is doing.’
Ofcom CEO Dame Melanie Dawes said: ‘Given the serious on-going situation in Ukraine, we will be concluding our investigations into RT as a matter of urgency.’

Alex Salmond said last week he was suspending his chat show on the Kremlin-backed network RT ‘until peace is re-established’ in Ukraine
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