Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information MP Mykola Tomenko of the Batkivschyna faction has said there is a danger of the monopolization of the mass media in Ukraine by one political force.

"It will be very dangerous when all the media, especially Internet resources, are in the hands of one person, one political force," Tomenko said at the morning session of the Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday.

The MP also said that the owner of the UMH media holding, Serhiy Kurchenko, has been actively buying online resources, which has lead to the mass dismissal of journalists, including those from the Forbes and the Korrespondent magazines.

Tomenko said this matter would be considered at a meeting of the committee on freedom of speech and information. "The further monopolization is dangerous," he added.

According to him, the monopolization of the media violates the principles of democracy and could lead to all the TV, radio channels and newspapers speaking with one voice.

In turn, Leader of the UDAR Party Vitali Klitschko said that pressure of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's regime on journalists had reached a critical point.

Klitschko also spoke about the parliament leadership's intention to enclose the press box with glass in the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada.

"The pro-government majority is so afraid of journalists, that it is ready to put them behind glass first, and then to show them the door. We are currently talking not only of the destruction of the freedom of speech in Ukraine, but also of the journalism as a profession," UDAR's press service quoted Klitschko as saying.

According to him, the independent press is "an integral and influential component of every European state" and "we will defend the right of journalists to be faithful in the performance of their professional duties."