Russia’s Kola Sami Radio in financial trouble

Kola Sami Radio, the only radio station in Russia broadcasting in the Sami language, is in financial trouble. The director has disappeared and the employees have not received their pay checks for the last four months. The employees are afraid a closure of the Kola Sami Radio will make it impossible to start up again later. Both the tax authorities and the state attorney are seriously concerned about how the radio station will cover their debt of 270,000 roubles, reports NRK Sami Radio in Norway.

NRK has tried to get in contact with the director of Kola Sami Radio, Aleksandr Paul, without success. Another journalist with the station, Jevgenij Kirillov, says director Paul is in a dangerous situation. The authorities suspect him of not paying the debt and salaries, and therefore are threatening to put him in jail, Mr Kirillov told NRK.

Kola Sami Radio has been in economic trouble for a long time. In February the Norwegian Barents Secretariat granted 45,000 NOK (€5,000) and said they also hoped other organisations would assist the station, Barents Observer reported.

The establishment of the Kola Sami Radio is probably the project for indigenous peoples within the Barents Region which has got most funding this decade from international organizations and governments. In addition to the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, funding has also been provided by the Norwegian Sami Parliament, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the European Union’s Interreg programme. In total, Kola Sami Radio has received millions of roubles during the last decade.

The grants provided were only for the start-up costs forthe important radio programmes in the Kildin Sami language – not for the daily operations.