ATR Crimean Tatar television channel may stop broadcasting before May 18 due to lack of funding, Deputy Director General of the ATR channel Ayder Muzhdabaev told Ukrayinska Pravda.

He said that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky promised to settle the issue of financing the channel on February 26.

"There were meetings in the government and the process seemed to have budged. We thought that the financing would be opened and we could pay all the debts. However, then the difficulties started, the Culture Ministry forced to rewrite all the documents. Tomorrow is the fourth meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, during which the funding of the channel cannot be launched," Muzhdabaev said.

The television channel has been operating for several months at the expense of its own earnings and donations from residents of the occupied peninsula of Crimea, just over 10% of the employees remained in the staff.

"We do not make our own product. We work only informing people on the peninsula about the coronavirus [COVID-19]," Muzhdabaev said.

He said that if funding is not open, the channel will be forced to stop operation early May.

"Now there is a danger that ATR will not be able to broadcast on the Crimean Tatar Deportation Memorial Day," he said.