MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Western public is getting one-sided information on the situation in Ukraine, although some politicians and businessmen are starting to call on resisting to "hysteria," Russian Envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said on Friday.
"I may suggest that those really dealing with this situation probably know what is going on. It is additional issue that they know, but concealing it. And the wider public gets completely one-sided information, primarily from Ukrainian sources. Western media do not have that many sources of their own in Ukraine. And the ones they do have, the journalists, they are located in Kiev and do not show up citing security problems," said Chizhov.
Some politicians and businessmen, however, have started voicing opinions in the media to examine the situation more objectively, Chizhov said.
"However, little by little, sensible voices are starting to find their way out, even in this overheated media space. So far, they are only individual voices. And they sometimes belong to politicians, parliamentarians or representatives of large businesses that are actually calling to look at the situation more objectively and not give in to this herd mentality on anti-Soviet hysteria. We shall see," Chizhov added.
The West has been blaming Russia for escalating the conflict in Ukraine. After the Malaysia Airlines plane crash, Western countries became more vocal in accusing Russia of supplying arms to the militia in eastern Ukraine, allegations Russia has denied.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that he hopes Western governments will uphold freedom of speech and avoid censorship in media coverage of the Ukrainian crisis.
