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Latvia has revoked the license of an independent Russian TV channel expressing support for the Russian military and including Crimea on its map of Russia.

This was reported by the Associated Press, citing local authorities.

The decision by the Latvian National Electronic Media Council was based on a number of recent violations by TV Rain.

The license was revoked on the grounds of a threat to national security and public order.

The main news agency in the region, Baltic News Service, announced that the decision will take effect on Thursday, when not only TV Rain's broadcasts, but also its YouTube programs will be blocked.

TV Rain was previously fined by the Latvian media watchdog for failing to ensure proper translation of its shows into Latvian, the Baltic country's only official language.

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Latvia's decision was prompted by a TV program called Rain, in which the host invited Russian soldiers and their families who watch it to share their stories with the channel and promised to offer help.

The host apologized, saying he had not promised material aid to Russian troops on the front line in Ukraine, but the channel quickly fired him.

The incident came amid tensions with Latvian authorities, who rebuked the channel for depicting Moscow-annexed Crimea as part of Russia on maps and referring to the Russian army as "our army".

The decision of the Latvian media supervision can be appealed.

Since its inception in 2010, TV Rain has been Russia's most visible independent television station, criticizing Kremlin policies, offering airtime to government critics and widely covering opposition protests.

Rain TV suspended operations in Russia earlier this year after authorities blocked its broadcasts, allegedly due to its critical coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The channel resumed broadcasting in the summer from the Latvian capital Riga, where several other independent Russian media outlets are based.