One of Russia's last remaining independent television stations will be forced off the air when its broadcasting license expires Feb. 8, despite protests by thousands of supporters. TV-2 in the Siberian city of Tomsk has been broadcasting since 1991, making it one of the oldest independent stations in the country.

The station lost its terrestrial signal Jan. 1 when the local branch of the state enterprise that owns broadcasting transmitters, the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network, declined to renew its contract. It has continued to broadcast on cable since then, but will be unable to do so without a license. Roskomnadzor, the government communications watchdog, had previously agreed to extend TV-2's license through 2025 but then said it had made a mistake.

Viktor Muchnik, TV-2's editor-in-chief, said the channel is being targeted specifically for its coverage. "We can presume that some people do not like some of our reports," he told the BBC's Russian service in December. "Many of the reports on everyday issues are considered political. I cannot say who exactly is annoyed with our reports but certain law enforcement agencies send letters about us to the top."